Philippians 3:10-11 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
The new youth pastor gave a powerful message to set the tone for his administration of our church youth program. The whole message was good, but especially noteworthy was his emotional description of his core passage, Philippians 3:10. He talked about his personal relationship with Christ and how Jesus had helped him during his teen years. He related this to discipleship and suffering and how Christ has the ability to enter our suffering and to heal. He proclaimed that Philippians 3:10 had transformed him.
I was so impressed by his message that I asked him later if I could have a copy. When he gave it to me, I eagerly sifted through the pages to come to the part about Philippians 3:10, because I wanted to remember all the meaningful things he said.
But when I got to that section, there was only this brief phrase: "Philippians 3:10."
The youth pastor had said everything about that passage from his heart and soul, not from carefully crafted words on the page.
It makes me wonder if I - we - have Bible verses that mean so much to us that we could proclaim them from our hearts without a script. I don't want to say everyone of us has to speak eloquently but rather that we speak powerfully and personally and deeply out of our experience and our transformation.
I can think of several passages that hold deep meaning for me: Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 2:11, Matthew 6:25-34, 2 Chronicles 20:12. What is your most meaningful verse or passage, and what would you say if someone asked about its significance in your life?
Do you think it's important for Christian parents to have harmony in their households by parenting from the same page? My upcoming book, "Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice," addresses that topic and will become widely available on Sept. 17. In the meantime, I have copies available from my online store, or you can pre-order from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other online booksellers.
The online store link is: https://Store.CecilTaylorMinistries.com.
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