Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Philippians 1:19-26
for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (ESV)
by Angie Osborn
I realized as I read this that Paul’s only goal in his life on earth was to share Christ with others. In his heart, his one desire was to leave this earth and actually be with Christ. I have to admit that I am not nearly as focused on my mission as Paul was. I struggle moment‑to‑moment with the distractions of this world. I worry about finances; I worry about having enough time to get everything done. Paul reminds me that I need to set my priorities on fruitful labor. The things of this world will pass, it will not matter if my house was clean or if I graded papers the day they were turned in. It will matter if I share Christ with the people God puts in my life—and that will matter for eternity.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
