"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21)
It is not wrong to ask the Lord if it is His will to heal our infirmities. But when sickness strikes, we quickly focus on the temporal fixes and we just want to get "better." When you put it back into the true perspective, what is "better" in the eyes of the believer? During the courses of our lifetimes, we see that tribulation can cloud our judgment and we forget to realize that eternal glory is much more satisfying than life here on earth. Don't get me wrong. This place has many good things and great people, but when you compare it to the immensity that is heaven, it does not even come close.
What you gain when you die is immeasurable. You gain the God of this universe. The Savior that loved you. The Savior that died for you. The Savior that took the wrath in your stead. This God paid the price in full by charging it all to His account. Our enemies have no ground for accusations because our advocate is the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, dying is gain. No more sin, no more sorrow, only eternal jubilation.
Beloved, let us not fear death as the Gentiles who do not know God. But let us embrace the fact that death is dead. Sin has lost its sting. Hell is no longer our end. Instead, we are safe in the arms of our Lord forever for He has conquered death once and for all through the blood of His Son. Beloved, do you not realize that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever? Do you not know that we shall worship and serve Almighty God for eternity? O how we must be people who wake up every-single-day longing for heaven. Time is short, the days are evil. May this longing to be with Christ cause us to live our lives with a great urgency to expand the kingdom through the sanctification of His church and through the proclamation of the Gospel. Lord, we CANNOT wait for heaven! We cannot wait because it is where unceasing, unfathomable pleasure awaits us. And this everlasting enjoyment comes to us through the presence of God Himself. Lord, we just want to be with You.
So, with this realization, I ask one last question:
Now, with your very soul, do you believe that "to die is gain?"
We should.
What you gain when you die is immeasurable. You gain the God of this universe. The Savior that loved you. The Savior that died for you. The Savior that took the wrath in your stead. This God paid the price in full by charging it all to His account. Our enemies have no ground for accusations because our advocate is the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, dying is gain. No more sin, no more sorrow, only eternal jubilation.
Beloved, let us not fear death as the Gentiles who do not know God. But let us embrace the fact that death is dead. Sin has lost its sting. Hell is no longer our end. Instead, we are safe in the arms of our Lord forever for He has conquered death once and for all through the blood of His Son. Beloved, do you not realize that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever? Do you not know that we shall worship and serve Almighty God for eternity? O how we must be people who wake up every-single-day longing for heaven. Time is short, the days are evil. May this longing to be with Christ cause us to live our lives with a great urgency to expand the kingdom through the sanctification of His church and through the proclamation of the Gospel. Lord, we CANNOT wait for heaven! We cannot wait because it is where unceasing, unfathomable pleasure awaits us. And this everlasting enjoyment comes to us through the presence of God Himself. Lord, we just want to be with You.
So, with this realization, I ask one last question:
Now, with your very soul, do you believe that "to die is gain?"
We should.
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