Scripture: Philippians 3:10 (the Message)
I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.
Thought for the Day: I would like to be the silent partner in a very successful business venture. I’d really like to be the lazy do-nothing partner in a super-duper successful business venture. I think we’d all like to find the partnership where the less work we do the more money we make, but that doesn’t really sound like a partnership. Christians signed-up to be followers of Jesus Christ, and as I read this passage, this decision makes us full partner in Christ-like suffering. At first glance, I think I’d prefer one of those other partnerships. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about those Christians who “love Christ’s cross, but they hate the cross in their own lives.” Partnership with Jesus is a monumental task, yet I don’t think he would have made the invitation if he didn’t believe there was true potential within each of us.
Prayer: Call me as your co-worker, O Lord, though I must confess a little trepidation at the thought of what such a partnership might require. Amen.
