Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death...
Philippians 3:8-11
In this series of Reflections on contentment, we’re looking at St Paul’s supreme lifestyle ambition to know Christ Jesus his Lord because in their relationship we find the foundation of Paul's enduring contentment.
Some people equate knowing Jesus with being a Christian. We become Christians by expressing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and committing ourselves to Him and we can say that he has ‘saved’ us. Many prayers of commitment include the idea of inviting Jesus to come into our hearts and taking control of our lives. It seems to me to me that this is meeting Jesus rather than knowing Him.
St Paul had met Jesus on his way to Damascus about 30 years before he wrote his letter to Philippi, so he was already well acquainted with Him when he explained his great desire to know Him. Of course, we never really know people. We’re often surprised and sometimes shocked by what our friends and neighbours do, while their own immediate families, the people closest to them, see no contradiction in their behaviour. So, inevitably, only in eternity can we really begin to know the infinite Son of God. But that is not to say we can’t begin now!
The Gospels are not the only way or the best way to get to know Jesus but they are the place to start. If I met a famous person and we seem to get along well, I might look them up on the internet and perhaps read their biography, to help me understand them better. But while that knowledge would help, it would not be a substitute for spending time with them.
We get to know people well when we spend quality time with them. That is why many Christians speak highly about periods of illness, imprisonment or isolation as the times of minimal distractions when they began to know God. Even Jesus would go off by Himself to be alone with God His Father.
We spend time with God―Father, Son and Holy Spirit―by prayer. Prayer is conversation, both speaking and listening. It’s never good to meet a friend but never stop talking, which is why the best friends are often the best listeners. We have many assurances in the Bible that God listens to us but our times with Him should include quiet listening by us. In John 10, Jesus likens His disciples to sheep and Himself to a shepherd. ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’. In those days sheep learned to recognise and trust their shepherd’s voice, so shepherds could lead their sheep. (Today, many of us are used to seeing shepherds drive their―and often using dogs to help!)
I think this may be why God often speaks to us during the night and in dreams, when we are most often still and not absorbed in our daily routine. But we really ought to make time each day to be alert to God’s voice.
Friendship includes sharing. It is true that some friends can have very little in common but at the heart of any friendship must be some mutual desires and shared experiences. The things of Jesus Christ that Paul wanted to share in were the power of Jesus’ resurrection, His sufferings and even His death. What he meant by that will be the subject of next weekend’s Reflection.
In the meantime, we should remember the sustaining comfort in difficult times provided by loyal families and close friends and reflect on how much greater contentment can flow from a close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
© Copyright Philip Evans 2015.
What is freely received should be freely shared and not sold for profit, so please feel free to copy these Reflections freely and without cost to others. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations in these Reflections are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
