Many Thorns
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:10–14
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
I have always loved this scripture. But if you're like me, maybe you're thinking the first part sounds a whole lot better than the last part. The first line talks about the “power” and “resurrection.” Many times I feel strong, and it makes me happy that we serve a God like that. Christ conquered the grave, and we can share that power of life with Him!
But then comes the word “...and.” Hmm…we have to share in His suffering? And become like Him in death? Now that’s a hard pill to swallow. Does Christ really mean for us to die? Well, yes. Christ is the blueprint of what it means to truly live. Death must follow.
I recently have been reading a book called “The Valley of Vision" by Arthur G. Bennett, and in the opening prayer it says “Let us learn by paradox”. Meaning that in the darkest valley we can still see the stars, that a crown of thorns can actually bring a crown of life! What a great reminder to us on how to live.
In our need of comfort during Lent, I pray that we would not only know Christ in the resurrection, but also in His death. I wrote this song “Many Thorns” as a reminder of what Christ went through for you and for me. I pray you will sing these lyrics with us on Good Friday and that they will be on your heart as we approach Easter.