THAT I MAY KNOW HIM

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Philippians 3:10)

There is a cry within the heart that cannot be satisfied with anything less than Christ Himself. Not merely to know about Him, not merely to speak of Him, but to know Him—deeply, inwardly, and truly. This is the eternal call: the call to union with Christ, not in theory, but in living reality.

Christ Jesus pleased the Father in all things—“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). He lived not unto Himself but unto the Father. “I do always the things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29). Here is the pattern, the Man after God’s heart, the One wholly surrendered and governed by the will of Another.

I, by contrast, am weak, flawed, sinful, and wholly insufficient in myself. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18). And yet, Christ is my hope. Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). What I am not, He is. What I lack, He provides. What I cannot be, He becomes within me. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

My deep longing is to walk with Him—not only in doctrine or public ministry, but in daily, intimate fellowship. “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24), and so must I. I would take His hand, listen for His voice, live not by sight but by that inner leading of the Spirit. I seek not a life of form or outward religion, but of inward, spiritual communion—“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6), and I now see—the house of the Lord is Christ Himself. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up… But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (John 2:19,21). He is the true sanctuary, the dwelling place of God. “In Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Isaiah foresaw this house, exalted above the hills (Isaiah 2:2), and we now know it as the Church, which is His Body (Ephesians 1:22-23). To be in Christ is to be in the House of the Lord.

Union with Christ is not a theological abstraction—it is life itself. “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Life has no meaning, no direction, no hope apart from Him. He is the Vine; I am the branch (John 15:5). I abide in Him, and He abides in me. This is the only path to fruitfulness, to transformation, to godliness.

I long that every thought would be taken captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). That my mind would be renewed (Romans 12:2), that I would offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). As Christ said, “I came down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38), so must I echo, “Not my will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42).

Christ calls us not to comfort, but to the cross. “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). This is the narrow way, the path of surrender, the daily laying down of self, and the rising up in resurrection life. “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

And here is the mystery and the wonder: as we are brought low, He is lifted high. As we decrease, He increases (John 3:30). As we draw near to Him, He transforms us—“from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

To become like Christ, we must live with Christ, walk alongside Christ, and remain in Christ. Lift Him up in your heart (Colossians 3:1-2). Honor Him with every thought, every word, every deed. Give Him all. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

Let there be no rival affection, no lesser treasure. Christ must have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18). For in the end, it is not what we have done, but whether we have known Him, loved Him, and been found in Him. “That I may gain Christ, and be found in Him…” (Philippians 3:8–9).

May it be so, Lord. May it be so.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway