Go Beyond

One of my favorite verses in the Bible, and the one that I want engraved on my tombstone, is Philipppians 1:21 — “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The Apostle Paul wrote those words to the Christ-followers at the church in Philippi. He wanted for them to know that Christ was everything to him. Paul lived only to serve Christ and had no conception of life apart from Him. He believed that death, rather than breaking his union with Christ, would usher him into the presence of Christ. That is why Paul said, “and to die is gain.” Paul considered death to be gain because it would give him more of Christ, not because it would bring an end to his pain, sorrow, toil, or difficulties. Paul had learned to live with those kinds of inconveniences (Phil. 4:12). When you think about it, it’s hard to discourage, demoralize, or destroy the person who firmly believes that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” After all, what can you do to the person whose philosophy is of life is, “Heads, I win! Tails, I win!”?

Paul lived every day with this thought in mind: “Living is Christ to me.” Starting on the day he encountered Christ on the Damascus road, his life was never the same again. From that point on he lived every day in the presence of Christ who inspired him to persevere through good times and bad. Christ gave Paul a new direction in life by making him an apostle and evangelist to the Gentiles. As he served Christ, Paul discovered how Christ’s all-sufficient grace and strength was made perfect in his own weakness. His greatest joy and reward was intimate fellowship with Christ. And for Paul, Christ was not only the beginning of his life but also the end. Paul lived every day with eternity in view and longed for the day he would be united with Christ. If Christ were to be taken out of life, for Paul there would be nothing left.

But, what about us? Do we echo Paul’s conviction about Christ? Is He truly everything to us? Have we considered what life without Him would be like? Do we tell others how wonderful He is and how He helps us to live with purpose from day to day? We must embrace Paul’s conviction concerning Christ if we are going to have joy in spite of the circumstances and if we are going to share in the furtherance of the Gospel. How would you complete the following sentence: For to me to live is __________ and to die is __________. Try filling in the first blank with words like money, fame, success, possessions, or anything other than Christ and then see what words you would have to use to complete the second blank. For example, “For me to live is money and to die is to leave it all behind.” I am determined to live adventurously and courageously for Christ knowing that even if I die doing so, I still win!