As Paul the apostle
considered the two scenarios which were possible for his future, he
had a tough time deciding which one would be more beneficial. He knew
that if he lived, he could benefit others, however if he died, he
considered it gain to be with Jesus. In chapter one and verse
twenty-three he shared more of his dilemma with the Philippian church
where he wrote:
For I am in a strait
between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which
is far better:
The
verse begins, “For I am in a strait between two, having a
desire to depart,...” As Paul
continued his thought concerning leaving this world, he shared the
“strait” which means “to
hold together with constraint, to compress” “between
two”. It was as if the
struggle between the two venues held Paul in a restrictive state. On
the one hand he had “a desire to depart”
which meant he would leave this world and go to be with Christ, and
yet he loved to have fruit among the brethren.
The
verse goes on to say, “and to be with Christ; which is
far better:” Paul desired “to
be with Christ” in which he
knew death would provide the entrance. He wrote earlier “to
die is gain”, and if died, he
would be with Christ which he deemed “is far better”.
Paul knew there was nothing on earth that would ever compare to being
with Jesus in heaven.
Have
we ever considered what it will be like to be with Jesus Christ? Are
there things, events, people or circumstances that we think are “far
better” than being with Him?
As we think about Paul's “strait”
perhaps we will discover that we have one of our own, and if we do
not find that strait, perhaps we should weigh the temporary things of
the world against the eternal value of being with Christ.
Next
time Paul writes about the benefit of staying alive, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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