When Paul Met Dr. Seuss
It was his amazing relationship with the King of Kings that motivated him to advance the Kingdom.
Dare 2 Share - [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. (Philippians 3:10-Amplified Bible)
The Apostle Paul could have been labeled many things: evangelist, teacher, missionary, writer, and martyr. Yet what is interesting is that he wouldn’t have been satisfied with any of these titles, because to him, the only thing that mattered was being a Jesus Freak.
What do I mean by that? Well, according to Philippians 3, his one main singularly focused goal in life was to “know” Christ. For Paul, all the witnessing, praying, suffering, and ultimately the dying was all about knowing Jesus. This is not your run of the mill ‘head knowledge’ mind you, but an intimate and ongoing experiential knowledge that deepened every day in every way. He understood that falling more deeply in love with Christ and getting to know Him personally was the foundation to everything in life. In fact, you could not offer him enough money, power, prestige, or pleasure to distract him from his goal of experiencing Christ personally.
It was his amazing relationship with the King of Kings that motivated him to advance the Kingdom.
Many times we as believers get caught up in way too many distractions that sway us from growing in our knowledge of the Savior. For some it is materialism, for others it is personal gain. Even religious activity can sidetrack us from our primary path of “progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly”. So in the spirit of Dr. Seuss, I offer this reminder-
Oh, The Savior You Could Know!
Do you know Jesus? I hope you do
For those who don’t don’t have a clue
About the meaning of life and what not
So here are some questions for you (for thought)
Do you know Him when you’re at school?
Do you know Him when you think you’re cool?
Do you know Him when you’re proud?
Do you know Him when it is quiet (or loud)?
Do you know Him when you’re day is about to start?
Do you know Him when you’ve got a broken heart?
When you lie on your bed, is He in your head?
Will He remember you when you’re dead?
Jesus in the morning, and especially at night
Jesus when courageous, or pale with fright
Jesus the King, the friend, the brother
Jesus closer than even your mother
So start today knowing Christ in a deeper way
Believe me, your heart will say: ‘hooray’!
Questions:
1) Why was knowing Christ Paul’s primary purpose in life?
2) How can I deepen my relationship with Him?
3) Am I so close to Him that I want to tell others? Why or why not?
