I've been chewing on Philippians for a few months now. It began in simple devotions but has blossomed into full-on consumption and preparing to preach it in the fall at Heritage Park. The most famous verse in Philippians is 1.21: "For me to live is Christ and die is gain."
But I wonder if that's how we live. Is that how I live?
I wonder if, instead, I live for gain: gain in comfort, possessions, status, pleasure, knowledge, a sense of being right, etc. And when I die, I get Jesus.
What a deal! Right?
But, as usual, the Bible inverts the whole thing. Completely upside down, backwards, and not-of-this-earth. The gain comes when I die. Right now, it's Jesus. Because He's better than comfort, possessions, status, pleasure, knowledge or a sense of being right (see Philippians 3.8). He has a surpassing value over anything and everything I might gain in this world.
So here's to being upside down and backwards. It's the biblical way to live.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
Like CS Lewis said, we don't sin because our desire for pleasure is too strong. We sin because our desire for pleasure is far too weak.
ReplyDeleteIf we really understood joy, we would seek Christ and consider him to be the ultimate gain.
That's right, Melanie! Good stuff.
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