Day 3

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.—Philippians 3:10

The pursuit of Christ is the goal of every Christian.

That we can come before Him to delight in His presence is guaranteed by the trail He blazed before us into the heavenlies. There we can kneel with Him in quiet intercession or listen as He gently whispers a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge or a prophecy that we might continue His ministry on earth. There we become more like Him—for only as we are with Him do we learn to be like Him.

That we must share in His pain is the duty of every disciple, and the common result of every person who has heard His compassionate heart groan for the lost, suffering and dying.
That we long for the power of His resurrection is right and proper. That we possess it is the inheritance of all who believe—for He is the Resurrection and the Life.

But resurrection always follows suffering and compassion. Even as Christ was about to raise His friend, Lazarus, from the grave, He was twice deeply moved—even to the point of tears. Oh, how we want to be like Him in His power! But how few pay the price to be like Him in His death!

Prayer Topics: Christlikeness; Listen for His Heart; Groaning with Him; Compassion; Weeping.