Waiting to Die
Philippians 1:20,21 I am full of hope and feel sure I will not have any reason to be ashamed. I am certain I will continue to have the same boldness to speak freely that I always have. I will let God use my life to bring more honour to Christ. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die. To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit.
What’s life all about? Is it just about getting up and doing the same thing day after day, waiting for the inevitable end to come? Some people actually live their lives that way – and the older we get, the easier it becomes just to wait for the inevitable.
At what point do we give up on life? I’ve seen thirty-five-year-olds who’ve resigned themselves to a futile life and I’ve seen one-hundred-and-two-year-olds volunteering in ministry with vigour and purpose.
Sure, at some point the old body, as the saying goes, will give up the ghost. But until that time comes, can ask you, are you living your life with purpose or are you just waiting to die?
The Apostle Paul wrote this from his dungeon on death row:
Philippians 1:20,21 I am full of hope and feel sure I will not have any reason to be ashamed. I am certain I will continue to have the same boldness to speak freely that I always have. I will let God use my life to bring more honour to Christ. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die. To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit.
The answer for Paul was quite simple: It wasn’t about him, it was about Jesus. It was about letting God work through his life to bring glory to Christ, not about whether life was fair or unfair, whether his circumstances were comfortable or dire, or even whether he’d live or die.
There’s something that happens when we truly make Jesus the Lord of our lives; when we make it all about Him instead of all about us.
He breathes a sense of purpose, of vigour, of hope, into our soul. He gives us a life worth living. The alternative is sitting in your own dungeon waiting to die. Which will it be?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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