To Live is Christ

Problem of Paul

Philippians 2:6–11 NLT

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Sometimes I get stuck between 2 options. Maybe is Marvel or DC. Maybe it’s chocolate or vanilla. Maybe it’s which book I want to read or what I want to eat for lunch. So many choices flood us day in and day out. Sometimes they are mundane and silly. Sometimes, they are important. And other times, life and death seems to hang in the balance. This is where we find Paul.

Philippians 1:15–19 NLT

It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Paul is looking at 2 types of people. Those that talk about Jesus because they support Paul and are encouraged by his faith. Then there are other who talk about Jesus to somehow take it away from Paul. Paul carefully looks at these 2 groups and states that they are both giving him joy because Jesus Christ is preached. Paul literally can’t be discouraged! He acknowledges that one groups motives are wrong, but they are still glorifying Jesus

Philippians 1:20–26 NLT

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

With all of this, Paul is still in prison. He is still in chains. His life going forward doesn’t look great. A thought enters his mind, “It would be better if I died and went to be with Jesus. At least then I would have peace. At least then, I would be with my Savior.” I believe those thoughts enter the minds of most of us. Life looks hard, almost impossible. Death seems like a good out. In those darkest of hours we can look to Paul for encouragement. He took the time to look at both sides. Paul chose life. He realized his life was meant to be lived for the benefit of others. In the end, Paul was convinced that he would not taste death as long as there was still a purpose to be fulfilled, a mission to accomplish, a plan to complete.

When we live for others, we find a reason to live for Christ. We were always meant to live for others. Not others approval or acceptance. But to benefit humanity. It’s only when we get our eyes off of people and on to us that death seems like a better option.

When we focus on us, we become the center of our own little universe. Everything rises and falls based on us and we were never meant to carry that burden. It overwhelms us to the point of suffocation. But when we focus on those outside of us, our problems become small and easier to bear. In Matthew Jesus tells us to take His yoke. That is a yoke of love for the world. It is light because under it we see that God is the central figure. He is controlling everything and it is our privilege to be a part of it. That is why Paul can say that there is no losing scenario. God gets the glory no matter what.

So the question remains, how can you focus more on others than yourself?