Philippians 1: 18-20
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
How cool is it that this portion of scripture is a letter written by Paul while he is in prison in Rome. Regardless of what is taking place in Paul’s life, despite the fact that he is in shackles and imprisoned unfairly, he is talking about Christ to everyone who is around him. As person after person sits with him, they get to hear firsthand about Christ from Paul, and the Gospel impacted the hearts of many who were hearing it. Paul rejoices in that because people are listening to him about God’s kindness and they are being saved. Even though he's in prison, he says because the Gospel is being highlighted and magnified, and because people are receiving Jesus Christ, he is satisfied. Paul was all about one thing: that Christ be glorified. He knows that God is up to something good and that gives him the ability to rejoice, even in the midst of very, very tough circumstances.
Can I say that about my life? Can you say that about yours? In our difficult seasons - when things don‘t go as planned, when we are sick or hurt, when someone we love abandons or lets us down, when diagnoses are given, when spouses cheat, when loved ones die - do we rejoice?
In vs. 21 Paul goes on to say For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. This is such a great example of how to live: it is by life or death. If we live, we live for Jesus. If we die, we leave here and go to heaven to be with Jesus. We need to live with the confidence that Jesus Christ will be magnified whether we live or whether we die, regardless of what goes on and regardless of when it goes on. We have confidence in Jesus Christ, and as a follower of his, we should magnify Him.
Friends, God will take us when he is ready, but until then we know that God can use us to bless His people.
God can use us to make a difference for the Gospel in the hearts and lives of people. It’s fascinating when Paul goes on to say it's love of Jesus that would make him want to go to heaven and it's the love of others that makes him want to stay. He knows it's not about personal gain or about personal accomplishment. It's about being willing to serve, and being willing to allow the gospel to impact us so that it impacts others as we seek to serve the Lord in the process.
My challenge for you is to think of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ motivates you. Even in the worst of circumstances, like Paul who is chained in prison, can you still say I rejoice - this is good. Jesus Christ is worth living
for and he is certainly worth dying for because he's going to take me to Heaven.? Is this true of you? Can you, like Paul, say “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Let's live in a way that everything is for Christ. Let’s live like this so we can see as many people saved as we can before we leave this place.