S) "21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:21 (NASB)
O) Paul had just finished writing about how his life had been marked by suffering and imprisonment, but how that was advancing the gospel. He did not consider his life to be his own (see Galatians 2:20), and so everything he did was with a mindset that he was living for Christ. He was only alive because of Christ. His life was an extension of Christ, if you will. On the other hand, he also understood that to die was gain, because it meant that he would be joined together with the Savior (v.23). Still, he knew he had work still to be done, and although to die would be to his gain, he was still alive and therefore belonging to Christ, for His work.
A) This is a high mark to reach, but I want to reach it. There are a lot of things I do in life, simply because I want to do them. In those cases, to live is Nic and to die is loss of those things I want to do. It's not always like that, but whenever I read about Paul's approach to his life, and the way he lived with purpose and obedience, seeking for the gospel to advance, I am convicted about something. I think it's a continual process until I am glorified with Christ. With my every passing day, there will be something that God is asking me to sacrifice, to lay down, for the sake of following Him more closely. The more I can view my life as belonging to Christ, the more I can say, "to live is Christ," the easier it will be for me to say, "to die is gain."
A) This is a high mark to reach, but I want to reach it. There are a lot of things I do in life, simply because I want to do them. In those cases, to live is Nic and to die is loss of those things I want to do. It's not always like that, but whenever I read about Paul's approach to his life, and the way he lived with purpose and obedience, seeking for the gospel to advance, I am convicted about something. I think it's a continual process until I am glorified with Christ. With my every passing day, there will be something that God is asking me to sacrifice, to lay down, for the sake of following Him more closely. The more I can view my life as belonging to Christ, the more I can say, "to live is Christ," the easier it will be for me to say, "to die is gain."
P) Father, thank You for saving me. Thank You for softening my heart to the gospel, in the first place, and drawing me to reconciliation. Open my eyes to see, to better value who I am in Christ. Help me to see that to live is Christ - that every part of living, everything I experience is because of Him. Help me to see that my life is owed to Christ, that every breath I breathe, every morning I awake, all is because of Christ. With that in mind, help me to prioritize better. Help me to be a good steward of my time, as well as my money. I want to live for Christ every moment of everyday, but I know that is not a reality. I know that may take a long time for me to get to that place, and really, it won't be perfected until I reach eternity. But, on that note Lord, I want to see that to live is Christ, so that I can really appreciate that to die is gain. I want this verse to be a reality to me. Burn away everything that gets in the way. You are a consuming fire, and I want to be purged, God. Please continue to discipline me, to prune me, to bring about my maturity, until the day that I can say without reservation or hesitation, that to live is Christ and to die is gain. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment