"As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death" (Philippians 3:10).
Didn't Paul already know Christ? Well, as Campbell Morgan puts it, "Yes, he did—no, he didn't!" Didn't Columbus discover America? Yes, he did—no, he didn't! We are still discovering America! That's how it is when we meet Christ. We are introduced to Him, and then the lifelong relationship begins. Just as the full discovery of America was left to people who would press on to explore the land, so the full realization of God will take investigation on our part.
But just how do we get to know Him? We first discover Him in the Old Testament. Jesus said, "The Scriptures point to me" (John 5:39). Then we develop close fellowship with Jesus through the Gospels. We see the pen portrait of Him in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and look hard till the Lord Jesus lives in those portraits and can step out of the book into our consciences.
Campbell Morgan wanted to get to know his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ better, and so he spent three years following him through the Gospels. "After that time," he said, "I got such a vision of the splendor of my master that I've never been the same since."
When we've read of him in the Old Testament, followed Him through the Gospels, and seen Him as He is in the book of Revelation, then we will know the Lord! How long has it been since you were introduced to Jesus Christ? Do you really know Him? Would you have to answer: "Yes, I do—no, I don't?"
PRAYER
Lord, thank You so much for the beauty of the Word You have given to us. Thank You for the daily gift that it can be to my life as I open it and read it. May the power of the Holy Spirit move in my heart to open my spiritual eyes so I might see and understand You and Your abounding love more clearly so that my knowledge of You grows deeper every day. Amen.
