To know You

Philippians 3:8-11 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

So, I think I have a firm grasp on verses 8 and 9.

Verse 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
First of all, I want to know Christ so intimately that every other thing in my life is like garbage in comparison. Like with kids...I LOVE my friends’ kids. They are great....but even though I love them dearly, the love I have for them is nothing compared to the love I have for my own kids. Or better yet, I remember one particular fella that I was “in love” with when I was younger. That “love”, as real and as valuable as it was to me THEN, is like garbage now that I know the love of my husband.

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, must be like garbage to me compared to what Jesus Christ is to me.

My relationship with my Lord should be so amazing that everything else, no matter how wonderful, pales in comparison.

Oh! I soooo want that!!!!!!

Verse 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Hmmmmm.....this moves on from the last verse. The “and” is the key. Consider everything as garbage compared to my relationship with Jesus so that I can be found in Him. How am I found in Him? Be so connected to Him that everything else is like garbage in comparison.
I have some amazingly wonderful relationships in my life. How over the top amazing would it be for my relationship with Jesus to surpass them to such a degree that these relationships seem as garbage?!?!? And is this same thing...this amazing relationship with Christ that makes everything else seem like garbage...also what helps me understand and grasp hold of the faith that leads to righteousness? (Not righteousness through my works, but true righteousness that comes from God)

SO it is really not so difficult after all...at least not this part of the scripture.
Strive to love Jesus to the point that everything else is as in comparison, no matter how great it is.
I guess the bottom line is, and I can totally see this in my own life, that Paul is saying to just get over all the earthly stuff and not be focused on all the “stuff” I do here. Focus rather on my relationship with Christ, on knowing Him more and more deeply.

Now, how to develop that kind of relationship with Christ...to know Him that way.....

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.


One thing I read about Philippians 3:10-11 said that Paul is simply saying that he wants spiritual intimacy with Christ. Paul knows Christ, but wants to know Him more. The writer goes on to say:
“To achieve this requires a clear vision of where one wants his life to go; dogged, disciplined determination to work toward that end; rigid concentration to avoid becoming distracted; and an unflagging willingness to pay whatever price might be required.”
At first I thought “Uh-oh....this guy is trying to stick ‘works’ in on me” but I don’t think so. It does take focused determination to truly know someone. You DO have to avoid distraction. If you really want it, you DO have to be willing to pay any price required. Okay, so maybe that helped a little.

All the commentaries I found seem to focus on the previous verses about earthly fame being rubbish next to knowing Christ or on the verses 12 and following that speak to pressing forward toward heaven. Of course I WOULD get hung up on the verses that don’t seem to matter much to anyone else! Ha ha ha

I also read somewhere today that Paul is talking about not being able to REALLY know Christ in his (Paul’s) own “righteousness”, but through the righteousness that is from God and that it IS the power of Christ’s resurrection that Paul is seeking and not that Paul is still seeking resurrection.

So, what is the power of Christ’s resurrection?
What I think of as Salvation, of course. Forgiveness of sin. Eternity in Heaven with God Almighty. Being known as a daughter of the Most High. The power of Christ’s resurrection is what I base my whole life on!


I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

That leaves the following questions.....
How do I participate in His suffering?
If I know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, then will I become like Him in death? (Which brings me back to “What was He like in death?”)
And I cannot even wrap my brain around “and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” this afternoon.
Maybe I can find answers tonight or tomorrow.

Father God,
You are so holy. Your power is more than I can grasp. So is your love. I know that there is no way for me to fully understand how much you love me. I love you Lord and I want to grow to the point where I can HONESTLY say that I want to know you more than I want anything else. I still hesitate Lord. I am afraid of what you will require of me. I am still afraid that you will not give me what I want. I’m sorry. I know that this is foolish. I know that what you give me is truly what I need and I know that your plans are not mine and your ways are not mine and that I can;t possibly see the big picture of what you are doing. I do know that what you require is always best. I know that as I grow, my desires change and line up with Your plan for my life. I just don’t think I like these growing pains much...but I know I don’t like this aching in my heart either....and I know that I am aching for a deeper relationship with you.
Thank you for revealing to me that I do understand more than I thought I did about Paul’s thoughts in these verses. Thank you for filling in some of the gaps. I trust that you will open my eyes to more truth as I am ready to understand it. I realize that right now I need to rest on putting you and my relationship with you above all else.
Lord, I do know one thing that still has a crippling hold on me. I do want my voice to be like it was before it got all messed up. I know that I want that more than I want anything and I know that is wrong. I am so very thankful that you healed me and that the only residual I have from all the surgeries and the cancer is a hoarse voice. I am truly grateful. I do see how blessed I am. But Lord, if you healed me from all that, can’t you restore my voice as well? If you will restore it, I will serve you with it. I will.
To everything there is a season and this is my season to....what? get over myself and be obedient? I do trust you Lord. I do. Help me to let go of wanting to sing. I don’t even want to sing in front of anyone...I just want to be able to sing in the car....and maybe in the choir. I do trust you and I know that if I don’t have my voice back, there is a reason. I know that you can use me even if you never restore my voice. I understand that your plan may not include me ever having a pleasant voice again and I also know that I don’t have to understand why. Please help me Lord. Help me to seek more of you so that having my voice back seems like garbage compared to just knowing you.
That’s where I want to be.