324 of 365 - To Live is Christ, to Die is Gain

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
 
What are you living for? I mean, REALLY living for? Where do you spend your time? Where do your thoughts go? Play your goals out a few iterations…and then a few more…and then a few more. Where do you land? What are you really LIVING for? Because the core of what you are living for determines your course. Determines your joy. Determines your contentment. Determines your reaction to adversity and challenges. Determines where you will ultimately arrive. It’s the reaping and sowing truth embedded in creation.
 
Paul’s life is a beautiful example of living sold out for Jesus. For Paul, “to live is Christ.” He was all in for the Gospel. To know and tell of Christ…THIS is what he was living for. And with this strong and steady core, everything else flowed. He could have joy in the worst of circumstances because he KNEW God was sovereign and God would work it for good. He could brush off his enemies, like those in Philippi, because if the gospel was being rightly proclaimed, that is all that mattered. He could not fear what was around the corner, even death, because he knew “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He was living for Christ. And in death, he knew he would be with Christ for eternity.

Preachers had come into Ephesus attacking Paul. They were filled with pride, envy, and selfish ambition. When self is the motive, scarcity mentality sets in and others become the target of destruction. “For me to get a bigger piece of the pie, everyone else must get less or none at all,” scarcity and selfishness chant. But Jesus was who Paul lived for, and like Jesus, he didn’t waste his time defending himself here or counter-attacking. He consistently called out false teachers. But in this case, the true gospel was being proclaimed even when the motives were whack. They were against Paul, not Jesus.
 
With Paul’s rock-solid core in Christ, if he was attacked, but the Gospel was rightly presented…so be it. Because THIS is what Paul was living for…NOT himself, his following, his reputation, his legacy, his comfort. His goal was Christ known.
 
Questions: What do you want to be living for? How is it going so far?