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TO DIE IS GAIN?
LORD’S DAY, APRIL 16
Philippians 1:18-23

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

“…having a desire to depart,

and to be with Christ…”

 

TO DIE IS GAIN?
 
Our natural human tendency is to love life and to dread death. No one looks forward to death. We spend much time and effort trying to delay this seemingly terrible but inevitable thing. We invest in healthcare, nutrition, diets, exercise, healthy living, etc. But do we ever ask ourselves, what is it that we cherish so much about life? Why do we want to live so long, and what is it about death that we fear?
 
For Paul, he had a wonderful, Christ-centred perspective. He declared in verse 21 that “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” It is a view that is very much at odds with the common ideal of the world today. In most cultures, a long life is seen as a blessing, and an untimely death is “unlucky” and not to be desired at all. Hardly anyone looks forward to death or ever considers it a “gain.” It is something that is mourned, dreaded, and not often talked about.
 
We can consider death as a gain only if we first live for Christ. Paul was so close to God, so dedicated to Christ in all things, that Christ was all that really mattered to him. Whether he lived or died, it was all about Christ. To live, was to live for Christ, a life dedicated to Him in all things. To die, would be gain as he could then finally be forever with the Lord whom he loved. He described being with Christ as something that is “far better” (Phil 1:23), far better than this earthly existence that we presently have. When we are with the Lord, it means that we have entered eternity. It means that we are no longer plagued by the struggle with sin; it means we are free from our earthly toils and labour; it means we will “ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:17).
 
It was only with such a perspective that Paul could become the effective man of God that he was. He could have joy and hope even while in prison. He not only did not fear death, but even described it as something he desired! Can we have such a perspective as well?
 
THOUGHT: What would I do if I am diagnosed with a terminal illness today?
PRAYER: Father, help me to have the right biblical perspectives towards life and death.

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