RESOLUTIONS

Great insight and great revelation was given to the Apostle Paul after his conversion on that road to Damascus.  Once introduced to TRUTH Himself, Paul never looked back, but set himself on a forward seeking mission that cost him a great deal in his personal, physical life but gained him a far greater reward in his spiritual, eternal life!

Phil 3:10-11 (Amplified Version) “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."

WOW! Now there is a mouthful of spiritual transforming POWER! Read that a few times to let it sink fully into your heart.

From this we see that Paul had 2 distinct, specific and IMPORTANT goals in mind for his relationship with Christ.

1.)  TO KNOW JESUS

            How do we ever really get to know the heart, thoughts and being of another?  First, we must spend TIME with them and pay close attention to them; observe them in situations; listen to the words they speak; discover their likes and dislikes, the behavior patterns that indicate who they are in relation to others and how they treat other people.  Not just their friends and families, but people in general, how they behave toward them, how they speak of others, especially when not in the presence of those persons!

To KNOW JESUS we need to observe Him both in His humanity that we can relate to which we will find in the Gospels, and also in His divinity which shines through the Old Testament prophesies of His coming.  To know Him, we must read the book written about Him.  Whether for five minutes, an hour or a chapter a day – immerse yourself in His written Word and you will get to know WHO HE IS IN RELATION TO YOU!

2.) TO KNOW THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

            This goes far deeper than simply acknowledging that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Lazarus was also raised from the dead as was Jarius’ daughter, but in their resurrections there is no indication of power on their parts.  In Jesus’ resurrection POWER from Him personally and made known to US PERSONALLY is available!  Power to overcome sin!  Power to transform lives!  Power to bring LIFE and that ETERNAL!  How does it work?  Why does it work?  How does it affect each of us in our lives?

TO KNOW THAT POWER is to understand your own place in this world, the purpose you were born and live for and why the Almighty Maker of Heaven and earth loves you so very much!  You can read about this power in the Bible, but that isn’t the extent of it.  That tells you stories of this power, but it isn’t personal – YET!  Once you KNOW JESUS, then you are in a position to KNOW THE RESURRECTION POWER up close and personally in your own life, your own circumstances.

From this knowledge springs forth a life that honors God the Father and releases extraordinary JOY into the life you live right now – and ushers you into a joy filled ETERNAL LIFE as well.

Paul knew how to make a New Years Resolution!  What is your resolution?  Will you move closer to the One Who created you this year?  “Draw near to me” says the Lord, “and I will draw near to you.”