"For my determined purpose is that I may know Him,
that I may progressively become more deeply
and intimately acquainted with Him,
perceiving and recognizing and understanding
the wonders of His Person more strongly
and more clearly, and that I may in some way
come to know the power outflowing
from His resurrection which it exerts over believers,
and that I may share His sufferings
as to be continually transformed in spirit
into His likeness even to His death."
Philippians 3:10
"For my determined purpose is....."
As I come to my prayer place, my secret place, and open my bible to this Word, it goes deep into my spirit and stirs a holy determination and resolve to lock into this prayer and scripture and begin to draw upon it and suck the rich sap out of it. As a branch in this living Vine of Jesus Christ, I want and need to bear the fruit and life of the One I'm connected to. This heartfelt desire to see His power flowing in my life that God may be glorified and that the world may see and know that Jesus is still alive and living in and through me draws me to this scripture and causes the passions of my heart to stir and resonate within me.
So my determined purpose is.....to know Him, to progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him. I want the intimacy of our relationship to be richer and deeper everyday. I want to know the deep things of His heart, the things that stir and move Him with compassion. I want to perceive and recognize and understand the wonders of His Person stronger and deeper and clearer everyday. And in that same way, I want to come to know the power out flowing from His resurrection, the power of that born again life, a life that's empowered with a supernatural life-giving and life-generating spirit.
"And that I may share His sufferings....." When I read this part my first thoughts were His sufferings on the cross and the pain, torture and torment that led up to it, but the Holy Spirit (my prayer partner sitting here with me) led me to reflect on the sufferings of Jesus' heart that led and propelled Him to the cross, the pain and sufferings of His heartfelt compassion that He had for the hurting, suffering and lost people that were disconnected from the Father and that had no hope unless the price of His life and the shedding of His blood was given. It's that suffering, that heartfelt compassion that I want to share with Jesus, that I may know His heart more intimately and respond to the things that move His heart, and that this same compassion and love that Jesus had would propel me to the cross to crucify my flesh, my selfish self-centered nature and any resistance to His heart and perfect will concerning others, and that my heart, my motivations and my actions would be lived out of this new resurrected life in Christ. By this I will be "continually transformed in spirit into His likeness and even to His death" that I may experience His resurrection and the power of this new resurrected life.
So Lord, this is my determined purpose. This is my passion and the focus of my life, that I may know You more intimately and more personally, and that I may perceive and recognize and understand more fully the wonders of Your Person. You ARE my life, and I draw upon You as my source daily that You may be revealed and lived out of me more fully and more visibly everyday. Help us, Lord, as Your Body to seek to know You more personally and intimately and to take every trial and test as an opportunity to see and know Your heart and to trust You more fully. Amen
Comments