To die is gain

Posted : 18 Aug, 2014 04:31 AM

To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

� Philippians 1:21



The apostle Paul wrote those words from a dungeon in Rome, facing imminent execution, and Christians through the centuries have repeated them. But not everyone will love those words. Some will think a person who says, "To live is Christ" is nuts. They'll think, This is a guy who's got his head in the clouds. Or maybe, This is a woman who's so heavenly minded:angel:, she's no earthly good:angeldevil:.



But that is not true. Far from it! Those who think of the next world do the most for this one. My concern is for people who are so earthly minded:devil::buddies:, they're no heavenly good:angeldevil:!



How can I live a holy life:angel:?

In order to address the question of how to live a holy life, we must first understand what holy means. To be holy means to be set apart or separate from sin and evil. God is holy�completely separate from everything that is evil (1 John 1:5). God calls us to be holy, just as He is (1 Peter 1:16, quoting Leviticus 19:2), but it�s vital to understand that apart from God this is impossible. It means we have to LIVE with GOD and to WALK daily WITH God!



Once we have taken that step of salvation, we are declared righteous:angel: (Romans 5:1). But what does it look like to be actually righteous�to live a holy life:angel:? In 1 Thessalonians 4:3�8, Paul emphasizes sexual purity as part of holy living: �It is God�s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy :angel:and honorable:angel:, not in passionate lust like the pagans:angeldevil::devil:, who do not know God� (verses 3�5).



Beyond avoiding sexual immorality and keeping sex within God�s design for marriage, we can live a holy life :angel:by being obedient to God in all areas of life (1 Peter 1:14�16). Knowing and obeying God�s Word is key (John 17:17). Hiding God�s Word in our hearts keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11). When we live in obedience to God, we are staying separate from evil. We are offering our bodies as �living sacrifices� to God (Romans 12:1�2). The purpose of living a holy life is to glorify God and display His nature to those around us (Matthew 5:16). Living a holy life of obedience to God is living in true freedom from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:6).



Here is the mindset we should have: �Count yourselves dead :winksmile: to sin but alive:angel: to God in Christ Jesus� (Romans 6:11). Any time we face temptation, we should say, �I�m dead to that! That was part of my old life! I am a new creation in Christ!� (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). To live a holy life, to separate ourselves from sin, we must see ourselves as God does�as born-again children of the Most High, clothed with the righteousness of Christ.



We also have the benefit of being part of the Body of Christ. Fellowship with other Christians and making ourselves accountable to them is a great source of strength in living a holy life. As Christians, we are called to encourage one another in this matter (Hebrews 10:24�25).



Remember, we are not trying to live a holy life in order to earn salvation; living a holy life is a natural outgrowth of being saved by God�s grace and filled with His Spirit. It is also important to not give up when we mess up. When we fail, our response should be to confess the sin and keep moving forward in our Christian walk (1 John 1:9). Romans 8:1 says, �There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.� God�s grace doesn�t go away when we make mistakes.



But we should REMEMBER that there is a POINT of NO RETURN for us: if we will live in sins, we will die in sins and God will JUDGE us for our sins as sinners and unbelievers.

If we will live in sins then we will be like a dog returning to its vomit and a swine lying in a mud pit!

And int his case we will fall short of the grace of God....

We will perish because God WARNED us that sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of Heaven....and the list of such people who commit other sins and do NOT inherit His Kingdom is long...



The apostle Paul loved life. And the simple fact is, no one loves life more than the Christian. We can enjoy it because we know it comes to us from the hand of a loving God. That beautiful sunset. . . that's the signature of my Father who happens to be the Creator of all. That wonderful meal. . . the joy of love and marriage. . . the comfort of family and friends. . . the satisfaction of a hard day's work. All of these are beautiful gifts from the hand of our Father.



But as blessed as we may be in this life, there is more � more than what we are experiencing on this earth. All the great things we do experience in the here and now are just hints of heaven, hints of something better that will come for the man or the woman who has put faith in Jesus Christ.



"All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of [heaven] � tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear."6 He went on to say, "If I find in myself a desire, which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."



There is another place, another time, another life. And life on earth, be it nine years or ninety years, is a nanosecond compared to eternity. Even so, it is here on this earth where we will decide where we will spend eternity. Trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and OBEYING Him being HOLY like God is HOLY :angel:is the only key that will open the doors of heaven to us after we leave this life.

Post Reply