Philippians 3:7-11 NKJV
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.
I had the privilege of knowing Nahum and Genia Manor - who were Holocaust survivors.
They met and fell in love during the most horrendous time for the Jewish race.
What they endured as they "served" in Schindler's factory is hard to imagine.
Yet, through their shared suffering, a love so deep was forged.
Perhaps their hearts would never have united so deeply had they not been forced into that furnace of inexplicable persecution.
Is that what could be called the fellowship of suffering?
Paul certainly went through much hardship and trials after he came to know Jesus. The tables were turned.
The persecutor became the persecuted.
Yet his deepest desire was to know a closer relationship with Jesus.
Everything else he counted as rubbish - all his knowledge and exalted position in the Jewish religion - he gladly discarded - just because he longed to be one with His Lord.
Yes, we all want to know the power of the Resurrection in our lives, don't we.... but the fellowship of His suffering?
That's a hard thing to long for.
There are many Christians around the world enduring suffering just because they believe in Jesus and refuse to back down.
They endure physical and psychological torment for their faith. What an insight they have into the passage above.
That's faith on fire - they are being forged into complete oneness with Jesus.
How small is my faith in comparison!
Yet I still can plant my "mustard seed" into the soil of God's Word and trust the Holy Spirit to merge my soul with Jesus more and more.
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