...but God Ministry
  • Home
  • Good Morning: 30 Days in the Word
  • Abide NT Reading Plan
  • Seamless Spring 2025
  • Luke Advent Study
  • Romans 8
  • Devo through the Bible
    • Jesus 365 Daily Devos
  • 1 Peter Study
  • Daily Bread Verse of the Day
  • Garden to Garden: Bible/Jesus 101
  • Year of Gratitude
  • 30-Day Scripture, Prayer & Gratitude Series
  • Come, Meet Jesus: John Study
  • Mahi Tournament
Purchase Jesus 365

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

11/19/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
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?
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Kings
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    1 Thessalonians
    1 Timothy
    2 Corinthians
    2 Peter
    2 Samuel
    2 Timothy
    Acts
    Colossians
    Daniel
    Deuteronomy
    Ecclesiastes
    Ephesians
    Esther
    Exodus
    Galatians
    Genesis
    Habakkuk
    Hebrews
    Hosea
    Introduction
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    Joel
    John
    Join Us
    Jonah
    Joshua
    Jude
    Judges
    Leviticus
    Luke
    Malachi
    Mark
    Matthew
    Micah
    Numbers
    Philemon
    Philippians
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Ref: 12 Sons Of Jacob
    Ref: Divided Kingdom
    Ref: OT Timeline
    Ref: Timeline Of Judges
    Revelation
    Romans
    Ruth
    Titus

    Jesus 365 Home

    Archives

    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Devo + Journal Part 1: Old Testament
    Picture
    Devo + Journal Part 2: Gospels
    Picture
    Devo + Journal Part 3: Letters
  • Home
  • Good Morning: 30 Days in the Word
  • Abide NT Reading Plan
  • Seamless Spring 2025
  • Luke Advent Study
  • Romans 8
  • Devo through the Bible
    • Jesus 365 Daily Devos
  • 1 Peter Study
  • Daily Bread Verse of the Day
  • Garden to Garden: Bible/Jesus 101
  • Year of Gratitude
  • 30-Day Scripture, Prayer & Gratitude Series
  • Come, Meet Jesus: John Study
  • Mahi Tournament