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For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:21-30)
Most people I know would pay anything and go anywhere to stay alive. Two weeks ago I had a procedure and as I checked in I was asked if I had an advanced directive. I thought about D.N.R., Do Not Resuscitate, and said I did not. I wanted to say, "This is minor, please keep me alive!" But I prayed and said, "Lord, my life is always in Your hands..." Paul did not have that problem. He knew Jesus was real because he had seen Him, and heard Him, and knew his life was in Jesus' hands always as well." But as he thinks about what Jesus revealed to him, including how he was to die, he writes to new believers and says, "If it were up to me, I'd rather be with Jesus; I've experienced glory in the presence and face of Jesus and that doesn't scare me, it attracts me! And you know what, to live is to be Christ for you, and to die would be complete victory for me - I'll work hard alongside you as long as I can, and I will do whatever God wants me to do for you; to build you up, encourage you, and to make sure we do what God is expecting from me."
You and I have known Jesus through our worship, prayers, singing, and especially through our surrender to Him. We have invited Him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and though we can't see him like Paul did, yet; we know Him to be walking with us. I once heard a preacher say, "Live a life that becomes the gospel." Imagine living our lives in such a positive way that we radiate the contagious joy of Jesus to others? We were called to be Good News to other people. No negativity or earth-driven words or actions - just those that reflect the faith that we have in Jesus Christ. We want people to come up to us and ask what it is about us that is so different from everyone else, and that they want that for themselves. May it be so!
PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for times we've thought more about this life than the life in abundance you've offered and given to us. Help us be the role models that live the Good News. May it be You that they see in us. May our faces radiate joy and love in the way You have radiated that to us. We pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shine the light of Jesus on somebody today!
Eradio Valverde
