Philippians 1:21 ( “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”) is a verse that reflects the heart of the Apostle Paul. We must realize that this is something personal to Paul. That is why the word “me” is emphasized. Your parents cannot live for you. Your husband or wife cannot live for you. Your children cannot do it for you. As long as you are a Christian, you must personally live for Christ. Apostle Paul was not living for Christ because the sun shines very brightly on his life. As far as Apostle Paul was concerned, he lived only for one person and that is his Master Jesus Christ. Paul’s all-consuming desire was to make Christ great in his life. And that was why he could confidently say, “If I were to die, it is gain. I don’t lose, you know! Please do not pity me. Don’t feel bad for me because I am in prison. Even if I have to die, don’t shed one tear for me. It is a gain for me. The Lord Jesus Christ has saved my life with His precious blood, and I have lived it as a life of service, and that the name of Christ may be made great in this body of mine. My heart’s desire is always to live for Christ. So, when I die, it is never a loss, it is always a gain.” So the question is: Can a person say, “To die is gain” if the first part “to live is Christ” is not true in his life? If you are truly born again but you are not living for Christ, will you say be able to say “For me to die is gain”? No, you will not be able to!

Is Apostle Paul referring to the spiritual life when he said, “For to me to live is Christ”? Of course not. He was in prison. He was talking about his physical life. Physical life is all about works. And what kind of works have you been doing? One day when the Lord judges each and every one of us for our works done for Him, we all have to stand alone. No one will be with us. We have to stand alone before the Lord. And the Lord will categorise all our works. And the way that He will categorise is by the use of fire. What kind of fire we are not told, but the fire will test every work, without exception. If the work is not faithful, it would be classified as wood, hay, and stubble. And they will be burnt up. However, if it is done unto the Lord, it will be called gold, silver, precious stones. The more you burn it, the purer they get. And God said that at the end, those whose works are burnt up as wood, hay and stubble, they will not lose their salvation, but everything else will be burnt away. But do you care? Some may say, “Never mind, I don’t mind that, as long as I am in heaven.” This is how some may be living. Others may say, “Never mind, this life I will live it my way. I will waste it. Anyway, I already got a ticket to heaven.” Is such mentality taught in the Bible?

You call yourself a Christian, but you only let your inside, and not your outside, reflect that important name. Apostle Paul revealed to us that his all-consuming desire is to magnify Christ, “that Christ might be made great by my works, my life, in my relationship with my family, my friends and in every area that the Lord has put me in.” And he made sure of that on the outside because this was who he was on the inside. Therefore inside or outside, he was saying, “I want to make sure that Christ is made great.

And I become nothing. And when I leave this world, people can forget about me, but they must remember Christ. I must impact someone for Christ. I must have helped someone draw closer to Christ.” That was Paul’s all-consuming desire. And that sustained him even more in the face of afflictions, persecution and imprisonment. And therefore he could confidently say, “To die is gain.”

So, “to live is Christ, to die is gain” is a personal decision. You have to settle this between you and your Lord, if you are truly a Christian. Because it is personal, you have to decide for yourself what you want to do with your life. Will you? May God help us. Amen.