Scripture: I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. —Philippians 3:11 Devotional: Jesus, I believe, has been given to us as an example of what happens to the innocent when oppressive and sinful systems come against love and purity. In my opinion, we cannot understand the beauty of Jesus’s experience without honoring the gory, bloody cross. God shows us through the life of Jesus that being a Christian means that we say "yes" to living into all that God wrapped God's self in flesh and came down to earth for. How do you know a man who lived thousands of years ago? You know him through the suffering and pain he died for and the power and restoration he rose in! If you want to know Jesus, get to know people! If you want to be a Jesus community, forgive and be dedicated to redemption of EVERYONE! May we become like Jesus in our giving up of doctrine, ideations, and traditions to follow him! May we become like Jesus, as we hang on a cross, that which should die in us! May we become like Jesus, as we hold to the resurrecting power of God that brings hope to a dying world. Prayer/Reflection: There is power in the suffering of Jesus Christ on a cross. There is power in us understanding the constructs of the cross and appreciating the lessons that it is teaching us! How will you live into the “cross experience,” daily? How will you live into the “way” of Jesus, daily? Today, I invite us to ask God to allow the “power of Christ to change us." You may know exactly what that means, or you may not know at all, but God does. God knows what we need, and I believe will show us during this time of prayer and fasting!