Life and Death through the Lens of Christ

Daily Devotional: Day 195

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, KJV).

Your attitude toward life and death says a lot about where you are with your relationship with Christ. When you come into Christ, He changes your worldview. He changes how you look at and interpret the realities of life. When Jesus gives you a new perspective, it gives you peace about a lot of things. You will begin to see things the way Jesus sees them. It is an important mark of being a new creation. Blessed are you when you see things from Jesus’ perspective.

When you study the lives of the first Christians, especially the Apostles, you notice the change that occurred in their attitude toward life and death. In today’s Bible passage, we see Paul’s view of life and death. He says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” It takes faith and an intimate knowledge of Jesus to arrive at a statement like that. As a Christians, you, too, can say what Paul said – with the same conviction.

Look again at what Paul said. Notice how he says, “For me . . .” He made a true personal statement based on his relationship with Christ. He wasn’t repeating a line he had memorized. “To live is Christ” means you live to please Christ in all things. It means your whole life is surrendered to the lordship of Jesus. When this happens, love for Christ becomes your primary motivation in life. Jesus Christ becomes your philosophy of life. Your life choices are all motivated by a desire to glorify Him. And, there’s no room in your heart to live for anything which dishonors the Lord. You can, therefore, boldly declare, “For me, to live is Christ.”

In the last part of his statement, Paul says, “For me . . . to die is gain.” When you come into Christ, you see death from a new perspective – the Christ perspective. You begin to understand what the Psalmist says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). You no longer fear death, nor are you ashamed when the hour arrives. You approach it with faith, honor and grace, because you know that in Christ, this moment is to your advantage. It’s not a moment of loss; rather, it’s a moment of gain. In Christ, all things work together for good for those who love God (cf. Romans 8:28). 

Ask Jesus to help you see life and death from His perspective. You will be blessed. Amen.

For further study: John 11:20-44