The Search for Experience

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (Phil. 3:10, KJV)

Josephine Scaggs, according to Henry Blackaby, used this statement from the New Testament to summarize her “commitment to knowing and doing God’s will.”

As I allow this study (Experiencing God) into my heart, I am struggling hearing God’s Will. There is plenty that I have identified as where I have done poorly: my failings this year to obtain and maintain a group from NCSSM, my own commitment to the Wesley Fellowship at Duke, my commitment to tithing and making time for the callings of the Church outside Sunday Morning. I am working on each of these and at least one probably requires me to get assistance from my pastor. I guess I should send her an email.

I struggle so much with knowing and doing his will that the scripture above reads as if it was a foreign language. I mean I know what the words mean, but have a hard time understanding them together and even more so, I struggle with how they apply to Blackaby’s application to Scaggs. Maybe I should research Scaggs and see if I am called to do something as a result. At the same time, I have a large pile that grows of things I want to do (especially reading) to enhance my relationship with a real and living God.

The CEB translation of the scripture reads as “The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation of his sufferings. It Includes being conformed to his death” and continues in verse 11 with “so that I may perhaps reach the goal of the resurrection of the dead.”

This is certainly less cryptic to me, but it does not have the same character as the King James or even the NIV. The Message has the extended verse as such, “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. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” Again the character is different, but it is a little more discernable. I think it all boils down to giving your entire life to God and his Glory through Christ. As Christ asks (in Luke) for his disciples to take up his cross; ultimately for them to share in his message. I must remove myself and become serious about my relationship with God. Then there will not be my insecurity and reluctance as I witness to and about his power.

So it is clear to me, after rambling and flipping pages to various translations, that first of all, I must ask Martha the questions I need to and that she and I have skirted around. Secondly, I am probably being called into a deeper understanding of this Scaggs character. If anyone has a good resource on her mission work, please let me know.