For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
Many years ago, the evangelist Dwight L. Moody was travelling on a ship on one of the Great Lakes, when a terrible storm burst down upon the vessel. As the storm raged, with high waves, torrential rains, and gale force winds, many of the passengers feared for their lives and for the survival of the ship. They gathered for an impromptu prayer meeting, calling on God to deliver them from the tempest. To their surprise, Moody showed no interest in joining their prayer meeting. When they asked him why he did not take part, he replied, ‘I have a sister in Chicago and another one in Heaven, and it doesn’t matter to me which one I will see tonight’. Moody was an amazing man, and his attitude in the storm captures much of the meaning of today’s text. Would we have taken part in that prayer meeting?
Two great truths for the child of God are presented in today’s text: the focus on Christ as our purpose of living, and the focus on Heaven as our purpose of dying. If we can keep these two great truths before us, our lives will be filled with victory and our deaths will be a joy to anticipate.
Throughout his lengthy and eventful life of service for His Lord, Paul proved that everything he did was based on his relationship to Christ. When he asked the question on the Damascus road, ‘Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?’ he was making a lifetime commitment. There is little doubt that he prayed the same prayer every day for the rest of His life. He appreciated his salvation, and did all that he could to express that appreciation. He recognized that the One he saw on the Damascus road was the Lord from Heaven, and everything that he did was directed toward bringing glory to his Lord. Hardships and prison and torture were all acceptable prices to pay to fulfill his longing to serve his Lord. Preaching the Gospel, teaching the Lord’s people, travelling from city to city, long hours in prayer and in the study of the Scriptures – all these were part of living for Christ. What a wonderful example he sets for us today as we set the honour of Christ as our purpose of living.
I don’t want to die. Neither do you. Even for the Christian, the king of terrors is a dreadful enemy. Everything within us shrinks from that awful, final experience. But our Lord has promised grace that will be ours when we must face the Grim Reaper. And He has promised to be waiting for us when we pass through that valley. Remember the words of Stephen as he was dying: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. It seems that Stephen could see his Lord standing to welcome him into Glory, and it seems to us that we will have a wonderful welcome there too. The joys and rest and revelations of Heaven are beyond our ability to grasp, but are surely wonderful to anticipate. That is why Paul could confidently say that to die is gain. It surely will be for us, too.
Whether we live or die, we focus on Christ as the only purpose for either. -Jim MacIntosh