A few days ago I posted about What's Really Important. That is a key theme to me right now. If I survive until March 10th I will be 66 years old. A LOT more of my life is behind me than before me. In truth, neither you nor I might make it through even today!
"Well that's a gloomy thought!" you say.
Maybe, maybe not. Early, early this morning I awoke with the thought of Paul the Apostle's declaration, "For me to live in Christ, to die is gain." (Phil 1:21). I have thought a lot about that verse, and as I lay half-asleep this AM, it dawned on me that Paul was really saying... "Sharing Christ with others is the major goal of my life. That will ONLY stop if I die. But IF I do die, though my sharing of the Christ may stop - Lo but I am so MUCH better off that living will pale in comparison." That "eternal weight of glory" Paul mentions in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 4 (vs 17) must really be something!
So, in Paul's view there seemed to be two options: 1) Share Christ, or 2) Be WITH Christ. Paul, an educated, privileged guy, had figured out life, or at least what mattered in life. There is that old cliche, only two things are eternal- the Word of G^d and the souls of men... and to be honest that seems a bit simplistic to me.
But maybe my version is not that much different- and maybe not one wit better.
"Either we are encouraging towards eternity or we are enjoying it".
And in my view, that's all that matters - that's all that's really important.
"Well that's a gloomy thought!" you say.
Maybe, maybe not. Early, early this morning I awoke with the thought of Paul the Apostle's declaration, "For me to live in Christ, to die is gain." (Phil 1:21). I have thought a lot about that verse, and as I lay half-asleep this AM, it dawned on me that Paul was really saying... "Sharing Christ with others is the major goal of my life. That will ONLY stop if I die. But IF I do die, though my sharing of the Christ may stop - Lo but I am so MUCH better off that living will pale in comparison." That "eternal weight of glory" Paul mentions in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 4 (vs 17) must really be something!
So, in Paul's view there seemed to be two options: 1) Share Christ, or 2) Be WITH Christ. Paul, an educated, privileged guy, had figured out life, or at least what mattered in life. There is that old cliche, only two things are eternal- the Word of G^d and the souls of men... and to be honest that seems a bit simplistic to me.
But maybe my version is not that much different- and maybe not one wit better.
"Either we are encouraging towards eternity or we are enjoying it".
And in my view, that's all that matters - that's all that's really important.
Truth!
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