datethewordtest

Tag: Jan 21st

  • Totally Committed To Christ With Total Confidence To Be With Christ

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

    The Apostle Paul is in a Roman prison facing a very uncertain future regarding whether he will become a martyr for Christ. In his letter to the church at Philippi, he includes quite a bit of personal information as they were greatly concerned about him. He lets them know that the things happening to him that seemed bad are actually working out for good as he was able to spread the gospel, even to the level of people in Caesar’s household. 

    Getting very transparent with them he tells emphatically of his ultimate desire with his life writing in verse 20 that “according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.”  

    Paul wanted CHRIST to be MAGNIFIED. Whether he lived or died, it mattered not. It was all about magnifying Christ.  

    With his DESIRES stated, he conveys a concise mission statement saying, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  There is no question of his FULL COMMITMENT to live for Christ and there is no question of his FULL of CONFIDENCE to be with Christ. 

    Can you make the same two statements?  Are you able to say you are fully committed to living for Christ?  Are you able to say you have full confidence that if you died it would be gain

    Asked a little differently, WHO (What) are you living for? 

    What is going to happen when you die?

    Remember you only have one life and it soon will pass.  Only what is done for Christ will last!

    Continue Strong with a full commitment to Christ and a full confidence in Christ,
    And Remember to Date the Word  

  • Who Are You Living For?

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

    To ask the Apostle Paul what he was living for in this present world would bring about an immediate answer “I am living for Christ.”  He also knew that death was not an enemy but the entrance to heaven.  Thus, he could say to die is gain.

    What are you living for?  What goes in the blank when you state that “for you to live is _______________.”    Is it Christ?  Are you giving yourself to eternal things or temporal things?  Are you giving yourself to valuable, imperishable things or to worthless things?   

    One of the tremendous blessings of working at Liberty University and with Dr. Jerry Falwell was the opportunity to sometimes have lunch with him and learn from him. On one such occasion, Dr. Falwell wanted the convocation speaker for that day to have lunch with him and I was blessed to join.  As we ate the convocation speaker asked Dr. Falwell what drove him to get out of bed every day.   I loved the question and I leaned in to hear his answer.  Almost without a pause he said, “I only have one life to live and it soon will be past.  Only what is done for Christ will last.”  (He was quoting C. T. Studd) He then looked at both of us as we sat across from him and said, “I believe I am here to live for and serve Christ to my fullest abilities and make the biggest difference for Him. That is what gets me out of bed early every morning.”

    There was silence for the next minute or so as we both let what that man of God said sink into our hearts. All I could think was “For me to live is Christ!”

    I’m just asking, respectfully, again, what are you living for? Let me be more direct, who are you living for? Are you living for your savior? You can be living for yourself.  When you get to Philippians 2:21 you read Paul’s summation about a group of people as he says, “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” Which are you?

    Did you get out of bed today to live for your savior or for yourself?
    Are you a Philippians 1:21 person or a Philippians 2:21 person?

    Continue Strong living for Christ,
    And remember to DATE The Word