As a father, there have been many times over the years when I’ve wished that I could impart to my children the wisdom of my years and the power of what I’m able to do for them.

And that’s just how we fathers are. But if I as a sinful man can have that desire, how much more does our Father in Heaven have that same desire?

And how much more successful do you imagine that He’ll be at that than I can ever be? Wisdom and power … it’s for that reason that the Apostle Paul, writing to his friends in Philippi, has this to say:

Philippians 3:10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. I want to share in his sufferings and be like him even in his death.

Paul yearns to know Jesus and the power that raised Him from His death. He yearns to know His Lord and Saviour so deeply, so closely, that the incomprehensibly great power – the Holy Spirit power that brought Jesus from death back to life – would be at work in him, in his life, in his ministry, in his walk with Jesus.

All that sounds great until the second half of that verse:

I want to share in his sufferings and be like him even in his death.

There is no place, no time in our lives when we will experience more of God’s power than during times of suffering. We know that He does His mightiest character-building work in us during those times. That’s because that’s when we need, and He unleashes, more of His power than any other time.

To know Christ amidst suffering is to be like Christ.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.