To Live Is Christ; To Die Is Gain

Commitment to Jesus is a transformative journey.

By: Debbie Breyman, Director of Curriculum

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

A few weeks ago, Perimeter Church Founding Pastor Randy Pope taught on the topic of “Choosing A Life Purpose” from Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Chris, and to die is gain.” He reminded us that we have two options in how we live out our lives. We can pursue temporal things, or we can pursue eternal things. One way to measure what we are pursuing is to evaluate what occurs when we encounter problems and choices. Which perspective do our decisions reflect?

As believers, we know that we have the amazing gift of salvation and that it “should” inform who we are and everything we do. Yet, I have found that when life gets busy, it is easy to get distracted by the temporal. Our culture screams that we must have the “best” job, the “best” education, the “best” home, the “best” relationships, and the “best” opportunities to create a safe, comfortable, enjoyable, and happy life experience for ourselves and our families. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to use these priorities rather than God’s priorities to guide us in making daily life decisions.

JESUS AT THE CENTER

I know when my life gets busy, my focus, or my center, can easily shift. Our relationship with Jesus is much like the design of a wheel. At the center is the hub, which holds everything together and allows the wheel to turn smoothly. Jesus must be that hub - the center of our lives - because everything else depends on Him for direction. The spokes of the wheel represent the other parts of our lives: family, job, friends, church, and leisure. These things are important, but they are meant to connect to the center, not become it. The danger comes when we let one of these spokes take the place of the hub - when our career, relationships, or personal interests become our focus, and Jesus is pushed out to the side. When that happens, the wheel becomes unstable, and our life will not have the strength, the unity, the love, and the joy that only Jesus at the center can provide. The bottom line is that when Jesus is truly our everything, then our decisions will become focused more on the eternal.

Commitment to Jesus is not merely a declaration; it is a transformative journey that beckons each of us to delve deeper into our faith. Reflecting on my own walk with God, I have realized that true commitment requires more than just belief; it demands action and an unwavering resolve to follow Jesus in every aspect of my life. God’s Word urges us all to lay aside worldly concerns and press on toward the heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. This commitment involves making conscious choices daily that align with our faith rather than succumbing to the lies of our culture.                                                                                                                                                                                                             

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

This is not easy, but as we together love and point our children to Jesus, may we steward our time well: spending time with the Lord in prayer, reading His Word, loving and serving one another, knowing that the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to seek His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33) and be imitators of Him (Ephesians 5:1) so that Lord willing, we will be able to say with confidence, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”