To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain// Part 2
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”
‘To Live is Christ’, this should be the phrase on each believer’s tongue day by day, but not many of us live up to the statement. We have not realised our union with Christ as greatly as Paul has, and we are not as far on in our sanctification as Paul.
This man suffered a lot as he served Christ, he took up his cross which was a lot heavier than our crosses, but he was willing to suffer for Christ, because he cherished his Master and his Saviour. Christ was his life, his every thought, his every breath, and everything he did was for Christ. He valued Christ more than anything. If he was offered Christ, or a hundred worlds, he’d choose Christ, because Christ is worth more than anything. We can hardly live up to this statement ‘to live is Christ’, as there can be days when we barely think about Christ at all, when maybe we read the Bible in the morning, say a short prayer and forget about him for the rest of the day. I certainly have these days, oh to be able to say, ‘to live is Christ’ and mean it.
So, Paul in his multitude of sufferings desired to depart to be with Christ, for to be with him, to be in his immediate presence, is far, far better. We know the presence of Christ in part, but to know it fully - I can’t imagine this comfort, love and joy. Whilst now we look in fog to see a dimly lit world across a giant chasm, we wait for the day when Light will split the fog and carry us from this world of suffering and darkness into the other world where light dwells and where we will dwell in Light forever. To be with Christ is what we should all be longing for, for with him is where we belong. Paul knew this more than anyone, yet he was ready to stay a little while longer in this world of trials and troubles, because the church still needed him, he was ready to labour for the gospel a little while longer because of his love for Christ, for the church, and for sinners. He was ready to stay and he thought it was necessary for him to stay and fight for the progress and joy of the church. Such perseverance, such patience, such humility.
This man is a model for all who seek to live like Christ, for the calling of the Christian is weighty, yet we know One who bears that weight with us, his name is Christ Jesus. And the calling of the Christian can be a wearying journey where all we see is fog and little light, but we have one who guides us through the fog, and gives us patience to trudge on, namely, the Holy Spirit. But the calling of the Christian, is a calling to another world, and while we live as exiles in this world we should long and labour, with Paul, to bring as many sinners with us as we can so that they can know the Joy of the Lord with us, for ever and ever, amen.
To live is Christ, and to die is gain, for now we labour for Christ and his church and we journey toward Christ who is our reward.
