“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain.”
I could spend many days discussing this verse, but I’ll
try to constrain myself to last week and this week…and maybe next week too.
To live = Christ.
If you want life, it must be spent for and filled with
Christ. Conversely, a “life” spent on
anything other than Christ is not life. That is the essence of what Paul is
saying…and that is exactly the opposite of what most people believe – even
Christians. We think that God is the
cosmic kill-joy constantly thinking of ways to remove enjoyment from our lives.
Such a lie!
Who created the moon and stars for us to gaze at every
night? Who decided that oranges should
be so refreshing and taste completely different from bananas, blueberries, or
strawberries (all also delicious)? Who
created humans with a sense of humor so we could laugh and joke with each
other? Who created love to allow us to
live beyond our selfishness?
Who created beaches to lounge on and waves to surf? Who created mountains to climb up and to ski
down? Who created lightning bugs, frogs,
and snakes to chase and catch? And who
created humans – in His own image – to appreciate, enjoy, and benefit from all
these creations? Who sent His only Son
to live and die for our sins so that we might live forever with Him? God did.
He longs to give us life – real life.
The problem is that we have been tricked into thinking
that death is life. The world says,
“Chase after the big job – life is found in money and status.” It is not.
“Life is found in sex, you will not have life until you are sexually
active.” Not true. “Life is found in being popular, or having
power, or becoming self-actualized…”
False. “Life is found in following
your heart!” Don’t believe it. Life is found only in Jesus, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy,
but I have come that you may have life to the full.” (John 10:10)
We often turn our back on the fullness of life that God
offers because we are too busy chasing the un-life that the world offers. As CS Lewis says:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our
desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling
about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an
ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot
imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too
easily pleased.”
There are really on two choices: life or death. There is no, “kind of life” or “partial life”
– you are either actively choosing to live for Christ or you are choosing
death. And if you choose not to choose,
then you are choosing death by default.
Which one are you choosing today?
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in me will
live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26
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