Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:3-14
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”—Philippians 3:10
Relationships developed during periods of deprivation and suffering are some of the deepest, most enduring bonds known to humankind. There’s something about the furnace of shared suffering and struggle that forges and cements a nearly unbreakable camaraderie amongst those who endure those experiences.
Embracing Jesus’ victory over death, hell and sin without embracing His suffering on our behalf bereaves us of the full extent of our knowledge of Jesus. It’s tantamount to sharing in the triumph without enduring the pain of the battle. Until you’ve viewed the bruised, bloodied, battered Jesus, you’ve missed the opportunity to celebrate the risen, glorified, exalted Son of God in His full power.
Here, Paul dismisses his personal trophies, ready to forsake the righteousness found in the law to embrace the enduring righteousness that only comes from knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection. Yet, Paul rejects starting that experience at the resurrection, seeking to appreciate the full magnitude of Christ’s suffering and death on his behalf. Only after knowing the extent of the sacrifice can we know the degree of exaltation.
The fellowship of suffering signifies this isn’t a unilateral experience. Just as we have fellowship with Christ in His suffering, He too fellowships with us in our suffering, lifting us up and carrying our burdens in the midst of our darkest hours.
We can’t experience the cross as Christ did, but we submit to the fellowship of suffering by our obedience and perseverance through tests, trials and temptations on His behalf. Those moments of suffering teach us who we are, not of ourselves alone, but in Christ. When we joyfully submit to those experiences, we avail ourselves to experience the full power of Christ’s resurrection and His victory in order to be victorious in our own lives.
Lesson to Remember: We come to know Jesus in His full glory when we embrace knowing Him in His suffering on our behalf.
“For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”—2 Corinthians 5, 7
