BIBLE PASSAGE:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
(Philippians 1:21)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever heard someone say to another person, “You just don’t get it!”?
We can’t say that about the apostle Paul, can we? He got it!
He summed up his understanding of life and eternity in one brief statement.
Paul knew what was needed for enriched living now,
and the reward awaiting him at the end of his earthly journey.
We live in a world which is determined to stamp out the real joy of living
and the hope awaiting those who have surrendered to the Lord.
However, the best efforts of man will never eliminate the existence of the Lord,
nor will it change the destiny of those who belong to Him.
Jesus IS God’s Son, He DID walk the earth in human form, He DID die
for our sins so we could appear righteous before our Heavenly Father,
and He WAS resurrected and IS with the Father today.
It doesn’t make any difference what we are told by others,
Christ is, and will always be, the key to a life of joy.
Paul spent a lot of His life in prisons as a result of His faith,
but in spite of his circumstances, he knew that in order for him
to ‘really live’, Christ needed to be an essential part of his life.
How else could he find joy while being abused and incarcerated?
Paul never allowed the influences of others to change his priorities.
Most of us may not be in prison and are not receiving beatings for our faith,
but we have other outside influences trying to lure us away from Christ.
It’s as if the world is yelling, “You’re going the wrong way!”
and “You’re wasting your time and missing out on the joy of living!”
The irony is, the ones with these thoughts are missing out on joy in their lives.
The scriptures make it abundantly clear that without a commitment to,
and a relationship with Christ, we will never know what it means “to live”.
If we tune out the worldly static for a moment
and focus on the scriptures, it makes sense, doesn’t it?
Those who have chosen to believe in the existence of Christ and
what that faith encompasses, can be assured of a ‘gain’ after death.
That hope is what inspires us to give Christ His rightful place in our lives.
Our belief in the future gives us joy for the present.
Contrast that with those who have chosen a different path.
Where is their hope?
Have they been misled to think that they can create their own joy and
at the end of this life be able to say, “I had a great life and I did it my way!”
Do they believe that death means they will be absorbed back into the elements?
Regardless of how the world wants to define things, it just doesn’t work like that.
At the end of this life, every person will face judgment from the Almighty
and will be required to “do it His way”.
It will be a devastating reality to those who do not belong to Him,
but a glorious day for those who do.
ACTION:
Do you feel you have been duped by the influences of the world?
Wouldn’t you like to learn from Paul what is required “to live” (really live)?
Doing nothing will change nothing.
Faith requires an active commitment on our part in order to understand
and experience what it means “to live” and to have a hope of “gain” in our future.
Jesus did His part (and it wasn’t an easy choice) to make everything possible
for us, but we have to make a choice to receive and accept what He offers to all.
At the end of a work period, we all look forward to payday
when we will receive the benefits of our efforts.
The scriptures tell us that there will be an ultimate ‘payday’
where all believers will be rewarded for their efforts, but others
will be cast into an eternity of agony and separation from Christ.
Don’t be fooled and misled by the world, but believe in God’s Word.
If you have never received salvation from the Lord,
don’t miss out while you still have the opportunity.
If you have received His salvation, but are guilty of allowing other
influences to cause you to drift away from Christ and His principles,
renew your commitment to Him today so you can “live” now and “gain” later.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of joyful living to all
who belong to You. Forgive me for allowing other influences to distort
Your principles and cause a weakness in my faith. Encourage me and
guide me in returning to You so I will enjoy life more and appreciate
the ‘gain’ awaiting me in the future. Remind me often that You are the
God of the universe Who created all things. My faith, commitment,
joy, and hope is in You!”
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