More on the Resurrection and Sanctification

A sunrise over a misty field where battles once raged—reminding us that resurrection life and suffering are woven together in the journey of knowing Christ.

Paul wasn’t driven by a desire to achieve personal excellence—he had already laid down his accolades and background in exchange for something of infinitely greater value: knowing Jesus Christ. For him, everything else was expendable when compared to the excellence of knowing his Lord. This “knowing” wasn’t merely intellectual; it was a life of ever-deepening intimacy, a relational union with Christ that was experienced through both resurrection life and suffering.

Paul longed to know not just the facts of Christ’s resurrection, but the power of it—a power that animates our new life in Christ and sanctifies us moment by moment. That power brought us from death to life, but it also sustains us in the process of sanctification. It’s not just the starting point; it’s the heartbeat of our walk with Christ.

Yet this journey also leads through “the fellowship of His sufferings.” Not sufferings for our past wrongs, but the kind we meet when we walk righteously in an unrighteous world. Paul came to realize that such moments are not interruptions, but invitations—to deeper fellowship, to shared experience with Jesus, to knowing Him more intimately as our compassionate Shepherd and indwelling Life.

In essence, resurrection power and fellowship in suffering are not opposites. They are complementary pathways by which we are sanctified and drawn deeper into the heart of Christ Himself.

Personalized Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture

I raised you with Christ and seated you in the heavenly places, not as a distant promise but as your present reality. I placed you into Christ’s death and brought you into newness of life so that My power, the same power that raised Him from the grave, might now work in you moment by moment. You are not striving toward Me; you are walking with Me. I am your Life.

You once thought suffering was a sign of something wrong, but I have shown you otherwise. The trials you endure for righteousness’ sake are not detours; they are communion. In those moments, I draw near and reveal the faithfulness of Christ in you. When you are misunderstood, when the path is lonely, when the cost of obedience feels high, I am sharing with you the fellowship of His sufferings—not to wound you, but to deepen your joy and dependence on Me.

You have asked to know Him more. I am answering—not just with mountain-top revelations, but also through the valleys where My grace becomes your song. You are being conformed to His image, not by your efforts, but by beholding Him through every circumstance. I have made you holy, and I am sanctifying you, that your life might display the radiance of Christ.

Do not look for Me only in the moments that feel triumphant. I am there, too, when your soul is quieted by pain and yet lifted by peace. This is the excellence of knowing Him—not merely facts, but fellowship. Not just deliverance, but divine indwelling. Not just resurrection past, but resurrection present.

Scriptures woven: Ephesians 2:6, Romans 6:4, Philippians 3:10, 1 Peter 2:21, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 1:27

My Prayer

Father, I rejoice in what You’ve already accomplished in me through the resurrection of Christ. You’ve given me His very life—not just to save me, but to sanctify me, to walk with me, to be expressed through me. Thank You for reminding me that even suffering is not a disruption but an invitation into deeper fellowship with Jesus.

When trials come, I rest in knowing that You are not absent. You are nearer than breath, revealing more of Christ in me through each step. I don’t need to escape hardship to experience resurrection life—I only need to trust that the same power that raised Him is now at work in me.

So I walk on today with peace and purpose, knowing that I already have everything I need in Christ. Nothing I face today is outside the reach of Your sanctifying presence. Whether through quiet joys or quiet tears, I know You’re shaping me into the likeness of Your Son—and I delight in that.

Amen.

Devotional Credit:
This post is based on insights from Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra, March 23rd entry.
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com