Philippians 1: 19-24
19for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
The theme of today’s passage is very inspiring. It exemplifies the lack of fear in dying when we are in Christ. You see, it’s a win/win situation. If Paul survives and lives, he gets to continue with his mission of preaching the gospel. If he dies, he joins Christ.
Verse 23 is an eye opener for me, though. You see, many times I’ve said that I’d prefer Christ to just return so I don’t have to deal with the world anymore. Granted, as selfish as that may seem, I don’t think its something nobody else has thought before (or something similar). Paul’s outlook is different, however.
We see that while he would rather be united with Christ and rid of this world, he realizes the importance of his mission and recognizes it is not yet complete. This is how we should look at every day. Given that today is a Monday, no doubt some people are feeling the usual stress and strain of restarting a work week. It’s all about perspective.
What is your perspective today?
