..that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11

In this era, almost all use powerful computer programs to work. If you have a smartphone, and most everyone does, the power in your hands would have been generated by buildings full of machines in the 1970s. While I might be productive in what I do, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what can be done on the computer at my desk.

We occupy space as a speck in a universe created by a God who has, by virtue of our simple faith in him, taken up residence within us. We should never get over this! Paul certainly didn’t.

At the heart of this transaction was the resurrection, upon which all our hope lies. The power exerted to allow his son to conquer death is inscrutable, yet that same power resides in us! Paul wanted more than anything to understand and use that power in pursuit of his calling. He understood that in doing so, he’d encounter the same kind of suffering Jesus did. He held out resurrection from the dead as something that needed to be “acquired,” yet he knew full well he’d already grasped it. This grasping may mean, simply, a desire to be fully engaged in the pursuit of God at the Lord’s earthly return.

Honestly, when I read these verses, I find it hard to generate this kind of intense passion to know him. That’s sad but true, and it’s probably an issue with many. Face it, it’s scary to put yourself out there as Paul did, and he was way out there.

So at least strive to possess a reasonable facsimile of Paul’s passion. Try these baby steps. Daily aspire to know just a little bit more about the power that resides within you–take in a daily dose of God’s word. Daily commit to an act that requires exertion of the power that resides within you–trust him with something stressful! And daily vow to be caught red-handed at the Lord’s return, fully engaged in the pursuit of knowing him more–wisely use your time!