Have you ever been in a win-win situation? Have you had an opportunity to choose one thing or another and either one was a good choice? Did it make it hard for you to choose one over the other? Were you happy with your choice? Do you know we live in a win-win situation?
It is not often we have an opportunity to choose between two options and both are good choices. It seems like we often must choose between two not-so-good choices. We even say we are choosing the lesser of two evils. We make choices every day.
We don’t necessarily get to choose whether we live or die. We do get to choose how we live, which impacts what happens when we die. When we live for Christ, we have no doubts about what happens when we die. This is the point the Apostle Paul is making to the church in Philippi.
Whether we know it or not, acknowledge it or not, we live in eternity. Paul is implying that point in today’s passage. As we live in Christ, we are living in eternity because Christ is eternal. Sure, this physical life is not the perfect life we will experience when we pass from this world. But it can be much better and is much better when we live in Him rather than for ourselves.
Paul goes on to say that dying is gain. Why? It means moving on to the perfect life where there is no more sin, no more tears, no more sadness, no more dealing with the ugliness of this world. Therefore, though our lives can be much better living in Christ, we can look forward to the perfect life when we pass from this one.
Having this mindset on life can change our attitude, disposition, and the way we live this life. It also eliminates the fear of death. Knowing we already live in eternity; we also know dying is merely passing from an imperfect world into a perfect one. It puts us in the mindset of looking forward to the perfect life while also desiring to stay in this one for others sake, not ours.
I pray we all come to understand we live in eternity. I pray we take on the mindset of Paul. I pray each one of us look forward to the perfect life while desiring to stay in this one for others. Know you are eternal. Know this life will end. Do not fear death. Know the perfect life is in your future. Live for Christ.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
Marty Pressey 