A Passion to Know Jesus

3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Philippians 3:3-12

In today’s society, “passion” usually refers to sensuality or sexuality. But the word’s meaning— an intense desire toward something or someone—can apply to limitless life arenas, including spirituality. Indeed, the one place passion ought to appear is in the believer’s life: we should fervently seek to know the Lord Jesus Christ who saved us.

When we claim to know someone, we often mean that we have accumulated facts about the person or simply are aware of his existence. Unfortunately, too many Christians “know” Jesus in this superficial way. He is the world’s Savior, the virgin-born Son of God who accepted death in our place and then rose again to sit at the Father’s right hand.Those are the facts, but collecting and sharing data points will not bring lasting satisfaction. Who is this Jesus that willingly died? Why did He give His life? The quest for these answers begins a journey to intimacy and a real and true knowledge of Christ.

By recognizing Jesus as our Savior, we are blessed with redemption and a basic spiritual relationship. But though we’ve gained heaven, we can miss the treasure of experiencing Christ as Lord. Few people will delve deep enough into Scripture and spiritual intimacy to claim Him as their life—as the One who makes believers complete. The apostle Paul was so intimately acquainted with God that he viewed his own history and experiences as trash when compared with knowing Jesus.

If you want to thirst for Jesus as Paul did, only Scripture and your experience with Him can fuel your passion. Start by opening the Word and drinking Him in.

Thank You, Father, for the power of Your love and the experience of being Your child! I want to know You more! In Jesus' Name~Amen