“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” -Philippians 1:21”
It was Woody Allen who said, “I’m not afraid of death. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” In the movie Collateral Beauty, death is one of the three people that visit Howard trying to make sense of what happened in his life. Howard tries to figure out how love, time and death all work together in life. People have been trying to get their arms around life, love and death for centuries, especially death. The word “death” sounds so final when you say it.
Guaranteed we’re all going to die someday. Some of us deny it as if we can somehow cheat death while others fear death and take no chances in life. The Apostle Paul identified his life for Christ. His burden was to preach Christ and Him crucified. Death to Paul was just a delay until he could be with Christ.
In the delay, however, he knew he could serve others best by preaching Christ. He knew that anything he accomplished in this life was “rubbish” compared to gaining Christ (Philippians 3:8) The question is not that we will die, but what are we living for. There is an English evangelist named Leonard Ravenhill who had an unusual inscription on his tombstone: Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for.
What a timeless question. Yes we will all face death and those who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior will spend eternity with the risen Savior. But what are we doing now? As a Christian, God gives us an abundant life and we should be living like that. Is anything you and I living for worth Christ dying for? It’s truly a matter of priorities.
Being a Christian is about action as much as it is in prayer. We are meant to be the salt of the earth and a light unto the nations. How can we do that if we make no effort to spread God’s love to those who are hurting? Are you helping at a soup kitchen? Are you volunteering at a homeless shelter? Are you leading a small group or serving in the church?
Action takes all forms, large and small. If some of the bigger things seem out of reach, start small, offer to buy someone a cup of coffee, open the door for someone that has their arms full. Show the love of Christ to others so that they want to see what this is all about. You never know how many people you can affect by your one action. We are the pebble in the pond that causes the ripple affect to others.
Discussion Questions:
- Are you afraid of dying? Why or why not?
- What is one thing holding you back from doing more for the kingdom?