I am writing this really for my own benefit. Wherever I go in this world I want to be able to look back on this and remember that whatever happens to me in this world I can consider it joy because this life is not about me - it is about bringing glory to God and preaching His gospel with my life.
"No matter how you look at it, nothing can steal a man's joy if he possesses the single mind! "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21) Maltbie Babcock, who wrote "This is my Fathers world," has said, "Life is what we are alive to." I absolutely dread memorizing math equations, or sitting in a science class in which I need to look up nearly every other word to understand what is being taught, but when know that it is time to go to Cultural Anthropology I come alive! The thing that excites us and "turns us on" is the thing that really is "life" to us. In Paul's case, Christ was his life. Christ excited him and made his life worth living.
Philippians 1:21 becomes a valuable test of our lives. "For to me to live is ________ and to die is ________" Fill in the blanks yourself.
"For me to live is money and to die is to leave it all behind."
"For me to live is fame and to die is to be forgotten."
"For me to live is power and to die is to lose it all."
No, we must echo Paul's conviction, if we are going to have joy in spite of circumstances, and if we are going to share in the furtherance of the Gospel. "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!"
This is from Warren Wiersbe's commentary on Philippians.
