How much do you and I want to know Jesus? The answer reveals a great deal about our hearts. The Apostle Paul, who had all the Jewish credentials: education, a great family pedigree, as well as his own achievements, said he counted it all as garbage, literally “dung,” in comparison to the ability to actually know Jesus. So, how much do you really want to know Him? In today’s post, we’ll talk about the how and why of doing that.

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe and watch on YouTube.

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 1 & 2
Psalm 116.5-14
Proverbs 27.1
Philippians 3.1-21

How Much Do You Want to Know Jesus?

Philippians 3.1-21:

Knowing Him

Several years ago, I started listening to a worship song entitled All I Once Held Dear (Knowing Him). You may be familiar with it.

I was greatly moved by the lyrics, which come right out of today’s passage in Philippians.

But as I was singing and worshiping, two lines toward the end grabbed my heart with holy fear. The lines were, “Oh, to know the power of your risen life and to know You in Your sufferings.”

The thought occurred to me that this isn’t generic. I was saying to the Lord, “I want to know You in Your sufferings.” And that would most likely happen through suffering on my part.

We have all suffered in various ways. I have, and I’m sure you have, but there was something that gave me pause about singing and saying I wanted to know Jesus in that way. I had to ask myself, “How much do I really want to know Him?” Do I love Him enough and want to know Him desperately enough to be willing to suffer for Him?

The Value of Knowing Jesus

As I went to my Bible to read the entire passage, I thought about the Apostle Paul who had all the Jewish credentials: education, a great family pedigree, and his own achievements, and how he said he counted it all as garbage, literally “dung,” in comparison to knowing Jesus (Phil. 3.8). Not just knowing Him in His resurrection power but in the fellowship of His sufferings.

[T]hat I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (v. 10).

I don’t know about you, but I like the part about knowing Him in the “power of His resurrection,” but the “fellowship of His sufferings” is another thing. Yet, I’ve come to believe we can’t have one without the other.

The Christian Life & Suffering

There will be times when we will suffer simply because we live in a sin-cursed world. Other times we will suffer because of the sins of others. There will also be times when we will suffer because we are His and His light is in us. And the darkness doesn’t like the light.

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (Jn. 3.19-20).

The Christian walk is not without tests and trials, but ultimately God takes care of His own. As the Prophet Jeremiah said:

‘They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to deliver you’ (Jer. 1.19).

And in the process of that suffering, we come to know Him in increasingly greater ways as we learn to depend on Him and cling to His promises.

[Tweet “Do you really want to know Jesus? #Jesus #knowingGod #soulsurvival”]

Here are the lyrics to the song (YouTube link at the bottom):

All I Once Held Dear (Knowing Him)

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing you, Jesus
Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die

Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1993 Make Way Music

Today’s Other Readings:

Jeremiah 1 & 2:

Our All-Knowing, Sovereign God

Jeremiah is often referred to as “the weeping prophet.” He also wrote the book of Lamentations, which refers to a funeral dirge. Jeremiah grieved over the judgment of his people and the destruction of the once flourishing and beautiful city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The destruction was God’s judgment on a people who had repeatedly turned their backs on Him (Jer. 2.13). However, before doing so, God, through Jeremiah, called the people to repentance and warned them of the judgment that would come if they did not repent.

Chapter 2.19:

19 Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your backslidings will rebuke you.
Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing
That you have forsaken the LORD your God,
And the fear of Me is not in you,”
Says the Lord GOD of hosts.

“Your own wickedness will correct you …” The consequences of their sin were built in.

God is still warning us about that today. If we ignore the law concerning drinking and driving, we may be arrested or worse. When we don’t choose a marriage partner wisely, we may suffer years of difficulty. If we neglect our health, we may suffer physical consequences.

And if we, as a nation, continue to turn our backs on God and ignore His laws, we cannot think that we will not suffer the consequences of His judgment, as well.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (Gal. 6.7-9).

Psalm 116.5-14:

He Saved Me

… I was brought low, and He saved me.. (v. 6).

Often, we have to come to the end of ourselves before we are ready to look to God. But if we admit we can’t handle things on our own, that we are sinners in desperate need of a Savior, and that we can do nothing to save ourselves, if we repent of sin and trust in God as our Savior, He reaches down and saves us!

For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’ (Rom. 10.13).

Proverbs 27.1:

Holding our Plans in an Open Hand

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

God wants us to make plans and set goals, but we must hold our plans in an open hand, knowing that God, in His sovereignty, may change our plans. And that needs to be all right with us. James said it this way:

Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’ (Jas. 4.15).

Your Thoughts:

How has God spoken to you today? Perhaps you saw a passage in a new light or an area where you need to grow and change. Did you find a promise to hold on to? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we will look at how the truth can become a reproach to some, the itching ears about which Paul wrote to Timothy, who the queen of heaven really is, how to test ourselves spiritually, the importance of standing up for the truth, and we’ll look at the question, “Should you follow your heart?”

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out the latest videos on our YouTube channel.

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥