Phlippians 3

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead"

It must have been one of Hudson Taylor's favourite verse since I read it many times in his book (The spiritual secrets of Hudson Taylor). Reading it over and over again, I wonder if I ever thought about it seriously.

My question was, do we have to share in his suffering in order to know Christ? Some of the points raised during the discussion last night was

-Suffering is a way that God uses to discipline those whom he love and is a confirmation of our legitimacy as children of God (Hebrews 12)
-God refines us and teaches us during certain trials to develop perseverance and faith (James 1)
-We don't necessarily have to suffer to receive salvation

The point of this passage may not be this but that is what strikes me most because unlike Paul, I have nothing to boast about -_-
As much as I agree with all the above views, I am more inclined towards the point that my sister talked about. Suffering does not bring salvation but it does come along with it. To deny yourself and to pick up the cross. Is that not suffering? Isn't that the cost of discipleship?

We do not have to seek it. Suffering comes naturally, in all forms. Sometimes we are unprepared for it but sometimes we know it is coming. It is when we realise what awaits us do we fear, cringe, and rebel in our hearts, unwilling to make even a little sacrifice. That is why, for me, it is difficult to sing lyrics like "I will go to the ends of the earth, for You" or "I can sing of your love forever". I'm not sure if I should be concentrating on the fact that God's love is so everlasting that it can and should be worthy of eternal praise or the fact that "I", as the actor of worship and having past failures, probably cannot in my own strength promise that.
But it does seem like not many other people have problems with that.

This conflict of wanting to know Christ more but not willing to go through any moulding is terribly sad.

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. "

God, please let me forget the past and fix my eyes and mind only on you.