[Photo by Catherine McCormack on Unsplash].
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, [Philippians 1:21-25 ESV]
Paul sums up his whole life in twelve words (in the translation of the Bible I am reading). And these twelve words are divided into two parts. In the first part, he talks about the driving force, the overwhelming motivating factor in his life - to live is Christ. In the second part, he talks about wanting to die. But he is not suffering from an acute depression. He is not being morbid and suicidal. Far from it. These verses are jam packed with optimism and enthusiasm. These are the writings of a man who is on fire for Jesus the Messiah. Before he had an encounter with the risen Jesus when he was on his way to eliminate followers of this Jesus, he was convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was an imposter who deserved to be crucified by the Romans. But the vision of Jesus in a blinding light had changed his whole life. He realised that all the hopes of the Jewish nation were fully realised in this humble carpenter's son (as he had been portrayed). He wanted to use every ounce of energy and every fibre of his being to serve Jesus the true Messiah every hour of the day. He had no secret wish list. He had no competing ambitions or cravings. He had no bucket list and no distractions. He was not married and had no children but he was completely absorbed in service for Jesus, his Lord and Saviour. For Paul his life was summed up in one word - in one person, 'Christ.'
Here is a quotation which highlights the challenges of imitating Paul's commitment to Jesus as Lord.
Our hearts can never fully know the blessed peace of God and rest of faith till we give our Lord the first place. Anything less than that will mean dishonour to Him
Not I—but Christ must be the constant cry of our hearts. Not I—but Christ in our daily walk; not I—but Christ in our service. Oh! That we might realise our great and holy calling, our wonderful privilege, a privilege which is ours for but a little while longer to live Him, to live for Him, who has in all things the pre-eminence.
Nothing save him, in all our ways,
Giving the theme for ceaseless praise;
Our whole resource along the road,
Nothing but Christ—the Christ of God. Arno C. Gaebelein quoted by Ian Robertson from Auchinleck on Facebook]
Paul also says, 'to die is gain.' Far from speaking from a state of depression, he could not be more upbeat. Not only is he not afraid to die, he positively relishes the prospect of 'being with Christ,' for he adds 'that is far better. You could be cynical and say that it is not surprising that Paul wanted to leave this world of persecution behind. I have written a blog entitled, 'Life of an Apostle (12/09/2021). He was familiar with hazards such as shipwreck, imprisonment, torture, starvation. character assassination, flogging etc. See also another blog entitled, 'The dregs of society' (14/09/2021). Here is how Paul sums up his life and the life of the other apostles:
When we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world - right up to this moment. [1 Corinthians 4:13 NIV]
But that was not the reason Paul was longing to be with Jesus. He was in love with Jesus Christ and he had a desperate longing to be near him and to live in His presence. And so Paul is in a quandary - a real predicament. His first inclination was to want to leave this earth even though it might well mean a violent death but he recognised that churches needed him and that he had a vital role to play in the first century Christian church. He is making a sacrifice on behalf of churches such as the one in Philippi by continuing to serve them faithfully although he wanted to be with Jesus.
What can I say when I read through these verses in Paul's letter to the Philippians? If only I loved Jesus like that. If only I was so committed to His service. If only I had Paul's perspective on life. Here is how Paul speaks in his last letter before he was violently executed.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. [2 Timothy 4:6-7 ESV]
Just note the word, Paul uses here marked in red. The time of his 'departure' has come. It is the same word which he used in the verses we are looking at today - 'My desire is to depart' and be with Christ. Paul is using the metaphor of a ship loosing the moorings ready to set sail. He is setting sail to a better land where he will be with the One whom he loves so dearly. Are we ready to set sail or have we removed the boat from the harbour and moved it up on to the dry land?
Here are the links to the two blogs I have mentioned. Firstly, the Life of an Apostle
https://www.dayshare.co.uk/post/life-of-an-apostle-12-09-202
Here is the other blog entitled, 'The dregs of society.
https://www.dayshare.co.uk/post/the-dregs-of-society-14-09-2021
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