Heaven | July 24
…now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
Phillipians 1:20-24
Father, Paul, who once was a notorious persecutor of Christians, following his miraculous rebirth, became one of Your trusted communicators, more effective than he may have ever expected.
Here he makes it very clear that his life is dedicated to serving You and that his death will be gain, not loss. We sometimes fear death but we are being taught that being with You will be better and permanent. You have prepared a place for us and You will draw us to You in the twinkling of an eye.
Father, none of us want to die before our appointed time and none of us will. The day of our departure is known by You, controlled by You and here we learn that being with You will be far better than any place that we could be.
Paul’s final sentence explains his motivation for living on, for continuing to serve in this place. It is his witness that he wanted to sustain and here, two thousand years later, we are still listening to that which You led him to share. We too have some time left and we too want to use it as a witness of Your love in our lives. Sustain our witness, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project
