On Second Thought
“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
Most Christians enjoy reading about faith, prayer, victory, and blessing. We are encouraged when we hear stories of answered prayers and divine intervention. Yet there is another side of the Christian life that receives far less attention—the difficult path of obedience. There are moments when God clearly reveals His will, but following Him appears costly, uncomfortable, and even painful. At those moments, obedience becomes more than a theological concept. It becomes a decision.
The psalmist understood this struggle. Psalm 69 records the cries of a servant overwhelmed by suffering, rejection, and misunderstanding. The opening words paint a vivid picture: “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.” The writer feels submerged beneath circumstances beyond his control. Many scholars see this psalm as pointing forward to Christ, who would experience rejection, betrayal, and suffering for the sake of God’s redemptive plan. Jesus Himself fulfilled portions of this psalm during His earthly ministry, particularly in His passion.
When I consider the life of Christ, I am reminded that obedience was never easy for Him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The path before Him led through suffering, humiliation, and the cross. Yet He obeyed. His obedience was not rooted in convenience but in complete trust in the Father’s wisdom and purpose.
That reality helps me understand Paul’s remarkable statement in Philippians 3:10. His greatest desire was not comfort, success, or recognition. His deepest longing was “that I may know Him.” The Greek word ginosko speaks of experiential knowledge—knowing through relationship and personal encounter. Paul wanted to know Christ so deeply that he would experience both the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. He understood that some aspects of Christ’s character can only be learned while walking through difficult seasons of obedience.
Glyn Evans wisely observed that preaching a sermon or writing an article may sometimes feel effortless, but truly learning, knowing, imitating, and obeying God often demands our greatest effort. That insight resonates because the Christian life is not merely about doing religious activities. It is about allowing God to shape our character. Faith, hope, love, patience, humility, and endurance are forged through obedience when circumstances tempt us to choose another path.
Many believers spend considerable energy searching for alternatives to obedience. We negotiate, delay, rationalize, and hope for another option. Yet God’s will is not a maze designed to trap us. It is a pathway designed to transform us. The Lord never commands obedience merely for His benefit. Every requirement contains a hidden blessing. Sometimes that blessing appears immediately. Other times it emerges years later. Often the blessing is not found in the outcome but in the person we become while obeying.
A.W. Tozer once wrote, “The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One.” That statement captures the heart of Christian obedience. The ultimate reward is not the removal of difficulty but a deeper knowledge of God Himself. The believer who walks through hardship with Christ discovers treasures unavailable to those who remain on easier roads.
When obedience feels costly, it is important to remember that God’s strength accompanies God’s commands. He never asks His children to walk alone. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now works within every believer through the Holy Spirit. The road may be difficult, but divine grace travels with us every step of the way.
On Second Thought
Here is the paradox many of us overlook: the very thing we fear losing through obedience may be the thing preventing us from truly knowing God. We often assume that obedience costs us freedom, yet Scripture teaches that obedience leads us into freedom. We think surrender will diminish our joy, yet countless believers testify that surrender became the doorway to their deepest joy. We imagine that avoiding pain protects us, but sometimes avoiding the difficult path also prevents us from experiencing God’s greatest work within us.
Perhaps this is why Paul spoke of both resurrection power and fellowship in suffering in the same breath. We naturally want resurrection without death, victory without sacrifice, and blessing without surrender. Yet God’s pattern throughout Scripture is different. Abraham left home before receiving the promise. Moses entered the wilderness before leading a nation. David endured years of hardship before ascending the throne. Jesus embraced the cross before the crown.
The mystery is that obedience often feels like loss in the moment but reveals itself as gain in eternity. Looking backward, many believers can identify seasons they would never choose to repeat, yet they would never trade away what those seasons taught them about God. The difficult road became the sacred road. The painful decision became the defining decision. The costly act of obedience became the place where Christ was known more fully than ever before.
Perhaps the greatest blessing hidden in obedience is not what God gives us at the end of the journey. Perhaps it is the deeper relationship with Him that develops while we are walking it.
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND REPOST, SO OTHERS MAY KNOW