“I continually long to know the wonders of Jesus more fully and to experience the overflowing power of his resurrection working in me. I will be one with him in his sufferings and I will be one with him in his death.” (Philippians 3:10 TPT)
There is a row of raspberry bushes behind my garage. Every winter, the leaves wither away, the fruits disappear, and all that is left are some dead twigs. Without its foliage or fruit, there is no way to identify the plant. Yet, in the spring, the plant is reborn. Green leaves sprout from new stems. It takes a few more months before clumps of red berries fill the plant. Death and rebirth...all part of the cycle of growth.
Scripture tells us that we must be one with Christ in death in order to experience His resurrection power. Dying to self and the world dismantles our ego structure, our external identity. Once our visible parts--what we think of ourselves and what others see in us--fall apart, we become nonentities. In this stripped down state, we are ready to know Jesus, to partner in His suffering, to be one with Him in His death. This experiential knowledge is not acquired through reading or hearing, but from the enlivening power of the Spirit of God. Death and rebirth...all part of the cycle of growth and awareness, leading to oneness with Christ.
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