Herb Reisig
Passage: Philippians 1:18b-26
Point: Usually when someone says they want to die, 911 is called and chances are, they’ll spend a few days on a psych unit in the hospital. Suicidal thoughts are taken pretty seriously. So when Paul says, “to live is Christ; to die is gain,” we sit up and take notice. Does Paul have a death wish?! Modern medicine and the luxury of American culture has led to such a wonderfully high value of life that we can lose sight of the reality of our mortality. But for Paul, death was an imminent reality. His world was a dangerous world, and his choice to serve Messiah Jesus made life an even more dangerous proposition. But the hope of Messiah changed his perspective dramatically. He doesn’t wish for death; he wishes for true life. The veil between life and death was very thin for him, because in his mind and heart, Jesus stood on both sides. And when that curtain of mortality is pulled back, he has the vivid expectation of being present with Christ. That is true life. That is gain. We need to reorient our vision for our lives so that we always have the hope of heaven before us. Living in the constant expectation of a life filled with Jesus—this life and the life to come.
Ponder: This passage challenges our view of death as well as life. For Paul, the love and call of Jesus filled both. Spend some time today pondering what heaven will be like, and allow that reality to change how you look at your life on this side. Do you see your life as Christ and your death as gain?
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