Daily Devotion: Desiring to Know Jesus

Scripture:
Philippians 3: 1-11

Main Verses:
Philippians 3: 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.

Observation:
If you ask someone if he or she knows who Jesus is, perhaps almost 90% would tell you that yes, he knows Jesus. People know Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, the son of Mary and Joseph, and the story of his birth and his death and even his ressurection. We all have this common knowledge about Jesus. But Paul had this burning desire to know the Lord Jesus more. After his personal encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, his life made a 180 degree turn. He surrendered his life completely to God. He desired to cultivate a personal and deep relationship with the Lord. He had this longing to know more about Jesus.

Application:
I have been married for 14 years. But I cannot declare that I know everything about my husband. What I do know is that for the past 14 years, my husband and I have been cultivating our relationship through constant communication. We talk about what we like and don't like about each other. We talk about what offends us and what pleases us. It is the same thing with our relationship with the Lord. It all starts with acknowledging Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, understanding His sacrifice on the cross, and believing that He was raised from the dead. But our relationship with Him will not grow if we do not make an effort to know who He claims He is and what He did and taught. We will never truly develop our relationship with Him if we do not have quiet times with Him, and have this sincere longing to be in His presence everyday. And when we do our daily devotions, it should not be just out of responsibility but rather because of a deep desire to intimately know Christ. Like Paul, let us have this tenacious desire to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior and become more like Him.

Prayer:
My Lord and Savior, yes, I want to know you more. I want to feel your presence in my life, every day and every hour and every minute. I long to dwell in your presence. I want to understand your Being. I want to grow in my knowledge of you. Continue to give me opportunities to know you, Lord, through your Word. And when I have my quiet times with you, let me always feel joy and peace. Let me see you and hear you and feel you in my quiet times with you. AMEN.