To Live Or Die

Chuckle: "Question: What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? Answer: Ruthless."

Quote: "The inevitable tomb is not a period at the end of the sentence of life, but a conjunction connecting us with the (glorious) life to come." --Unknown

"For 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" (Philippians 1:21-24 NIV).

To a person who doesn't believe in Christ, life here on earth is all there is. So it is natural for him/her to live for the here and now -- to strive for the things valued by the world: money, popularity, power, pleasure, and prestige. However, for Paul, it meant living by eternal values and telling others about Christ, who alone could help them see life from an eternal perspective.

Being in prison, and facing possible execution, Paul was torn between two strong desires, to live and to die. In verse 21, he weighed the glory of living against the greater glory of dying, not knowing which to choose because each was a wonderful option. He would gain no matter which way his Roman trial went. His life would be wonderful simply because it was Christ-filled. Death would be gain because Paul's union with Christ would finally be realized fully.

In verse 22, He was weighing two possibilities, life and death. He didn't know which was best, so he would leave that to God. "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 . . ." In verse 23, he rationalized that he was needed in his earthly ministry, but his personal desire would be to go to be with the Lord.

To Paul, death was not an enemy, but a friend. He wrote: "We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it" (2 Corinthians 5:8).

I believe God would have each of us view live and death as Paul did. We should be eager to serve the Lord to our utmost while alive here on earth, but have no dread of death because of what awaits us in God's glorious presence.

To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. What a beautiful picture of our future as believers. If you're not ready to die, then you're not ready to live your life to its fullest. Make certain of your eternal destiny in Christ; then you will be ready and free to serve God and other people -- devoting your life to what is really important, without fear of death.

Love, Jerry & Dotse