To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

"For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.  Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ.  I really don't know which is better.  I'm torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ.  That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live." Philippians 1:21-24 NLT

 

To make the best use of our life, we must remember two truths:

 

1.      Compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.

 

2.      Earth is only a temporary residence. We will not be here long, so we should not become too attached.

 

We should ask God to help us see life on earth as He sees it. David prayed, "Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more."

 

In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life-longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We're not completely happy here because we're not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better.

 

In God's eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.

 

Your time on earth is not the complete story of your life. You must wait until heaven for the rest of the chapters. It takes faith to live on earth as a foreigner.

 

When life gets tough, when you're overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet. At death you won't leave home-you'll go home.