A WIN-WIN SITUATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.

Yet what shall I choose?

I do not know!

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Philippians 1:21-26

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I think a lot about dying these days, especially since I have passed age 60. As I jokingly tell people, I am now closer to 80 than I am 20.

What has amplified these thoughts was my recent tenure working with Veterans and their family members. There, I encountered a lot of people my age who were dealing with terminal illnesses and some didn’t make it, dying at what most would say a young age. I also dealt with the surviving spouses who were dealing with the loss of a Veteran that was in my age range or even younger. I was reminded that we really don’t know the length of our time here in this earthly life. All the more reason to make sure you have chosen to believe in Jesus as your Savior.

Of course, this is something I did a long time ago and through the scriptures, I know my salvation is sealed. Death has lost its sting and I hold victory over it and sin through the redeeming work of Christ on the cross. He, Jesus, is who gives total meaning to the word Christian.

So what does a Christian have to worry about when it comes to dying?

Nothing really. It’s inevitable that it will happen but because of Christ, a believer’s future is set and secure.

Friends, this sets us free to live in the now with vigor and excitement, liberated from the worry of dying to be able to share the Gospel with others.

We live now in Jesus and we will live after death in Him too. It’s truly a win-win situation.

As we turn to the words of the Apostle Paul from the first chapter of his letter to the Christians in Philippi, we find him sharing his own views on living and dying. Look again at his words here:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.

Yet what shall I choose?

I do not know!

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.  Vv. 21-26

Paul saw that living with Christ forever, free from all the afflictions and hardships of the world, was the best option by far but that didn’t mean he begrudged the present as he continued to live in his worldly body. He saw the opportunity to continue to minister and spread the Gospel as “fruitful labor” for the Lord Jesus.

We read where this brought Paul great joy as he knew that as long as his body was alive, he could continue to track the Philippian Christians’ progress and joy in the faith, even possibly getting to visit them again (remember that Paul writes these words while incarcerated in Rome).

I simply love and cherish these words from the Apostle because although death is guaranteed for all of us, it’s not the end if we place our belief in Jesus as Savior. God has assured us that we will not perish but rather enter into eternal life and our Lord never breaks His promises.

We also need to see that with the assurance of eternal life in our back pocket, we can rejoice and be glad in the life we live now in our earthly bodies for God provides each day as an opportunity to serve Him and make a difference in the life of someone else.

The good news is that a life in Christ is a win-win situation...a winning matter before death comes our way and likewise a winning matter as we move onto life everlasting with Jesus who saved us and the Father God who sent Him. Like Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com