To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. (Philippians 1:21–26, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “It’s paradoxical, that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” (Andy Rooney). I suppose that the “spiritual” corollary to this would be, “I’m looking forward to heaven, but I’m not in any particular hurry to get there.”

This was not the case with the Apostle Paul, as the above text states. It was his “[preference] to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, NIV 1984). But he knew he had a “fruitful labor” to complete.

My Advice – It should be this way with us as well. We must not be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good. By the same token, we should not be so earthly grounded that we make no heavenly good. “So, we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body.” (2 Corinthians 5:9–10, NIV 1984).

Author: thebrewisamusing

I was raised in a Christian family and my earliest childhood memories include regular Sunday school and Church attendance as a family. I was taught that our Judeo-Christian values were not just a part of our Sunday routine they should be part of our character and influence all aspects of our lives. I was also taught that as important as these values were they could not save us. We must also be “born again” by accepting Christ. View all posts by thebrewisamusing

2 thoughts on “To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain”

I recall reading a story about a young man with terminal end stage cancer. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life and became eager to pass and be with Jesus. Finally, his doctor predicted he would not live through the night. He became exhilerated in anticipation of crossing over. By morning he had miraculously healed!

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The saying, “We must not be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good.” has always bothered me, so I did a little research and discovered it is attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. He was the son of a preacher, but he himself was agnostic. That explains a lot. In my opinion, we can never be too heavenly-minded because the more heavenly-minded we are, the more good we can do for the people in the world. Blessings, Steve!

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Nancy Homlitas says:

September 15, 2023 at 1:34 pm

I recall reading a story about a young man with terminal end stage cancer. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life and became eager to pass and be with Jesus. Finally, his doctor predicted he would not live through the night. He became exhilerated in anticipation of crossing over. By morning he had miraculously healed!

LikeLiked by 2 people

Cindy Dawson says:

September 16, 2023 at 9:23 am

The saying, “We must not be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good.” has always bothered me, so I did a little research and discovered it is attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. He was the son of a preacher, but he himself was agnostic. That explains a lot. In my opinion, we can never be too heavenly-minded because the more heavenly-minded we are, the more good we can do for the people in the world. Blessings, Steve!

LikeLiked by 1 person