He Gave Me All He Is!

"...that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;  if somehow I may come into the resurrection out of death." Philippians 3:10-11 (my own translation of these verses"). 

"...becoming conformed to his death;" As we worked with in the last post, since we died with Christ and were raised with Christ (see that post if you need review or catch up), then we are able to maintain a life that is conformed to His death. It is not foreign nor strange to us, but is our "natural" placement in the Spirit. We are empowered to maintain a life-style that is always living and reliving Philippians 2: 5-11.


"In your relationships and with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: 

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God

something to be used to his own advantage; 

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a human being,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death--

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father." (TNIV)

Therefore, we are empowered to embrace and move forward, as Paul was praying for himself to do, in each of these listed dimensions of knowing Christ Jesus. The action of becoming "like him in his death," is simply living in the same attitude of mind He had that is described in these verses. 

I think it is probably the fruitless efforts of legalism that keep us from embracing all these as ours. It is arrogance of the highest sort to consider ourselves separate from His work. That statement is hard on me, and I am certain it is hard on most of us. False humility is simply arrogance and pride.  To be unwilling to believe and live from the position He has purchased for us and has chosen to share with us - is pride. After all, He is seated at the right hand of the Throne of Heaven and He says we are there with Him. (Ephesians 2:6) Such are the consequences of having His presence abiding in us. 

Well, I'm a bit challenged (understatement). So until tomorrow ----.