TO DIE IS GAIN?

Dearly Beloved, TO DIE IS GAIN? “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). Recently, I was with an elderly woman who lost her young son-in-law to commiserate with her. In my prayers with her before I left her, I referred to the above-quoted verse that coincidentally is my favourite Bible verse, and prayed that our living will be for Christ, and our death will be gain. It was as if I was been acquainted with the verse for the first time since then as I began to think again how dying can be gain. To die is gain? Yes! For a Christian, it is gain if he/she really lives for Jesus Christ. One would understand this better if one considers the context of the statement. Apostle Paul (then Saul of Tarsus) used to persecute the Christians. He even supervised the killing of one of the first set of deacons in the Early Church – Stephen (see Acts 7:58—8:1). However, he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ in the course of his persecution as he was on his way to Damascus (see Acts 9:1-9). Since that encounter, he had lived for Christ and had been vigorously witnessing about the Christian faith. Because of these, he was beaten, stoned, hated, scorned, shipwrecked, and particularly imprisoned when he made the statement. As he earlier said in Philippians 1:20 that his earnest desire was to make Christ be glorified in his life and even in his death, he saw his imprisonment for the cause of the gospel as a way of glorifying Christ. He later explained further that his death would be gain because that would be far better for he would ultimately be with Christ in heaven. He had said somewhere that though either a Christian lives or dies, he is the Lord’s (Romans 14:8), being in the body (here on earth) is being absent from God (in heaven) (see 2 Corinthians 5:6), so, dying will be gain for that will be fully being present with God (in heaven). Besides, the place that Christians will be is not made by natural hands, but it is a place that has been eternally made in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1). No wonder, Paul said that he preferred to be absent from the body and be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). To die in Christ is indeed gain because “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15 NKJV). Will your death be gain for you? Be ready to live for Christ. No matter how beautiful or pleasurable this world may be, it cannot be compared with where Christians – those who really live for Christ – are going when they die. Are you ready to live for Christ? To die is indeed gain for one who lives for Christ. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Help me, O Lord, to really live for You so that my death will be gain for me.