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James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem,
wrote:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever
you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of
your faith develops perseverance (Ja.1:2-3)
Now I don't know about you but I do struggle with the idea of rejoicing
when I face trials. I can see the sense in what James is saying. After
all, to paraphrase his message, it is character building. Still, I am
left asking how do you face trials with pure joy?
Paul has the answer here as he shows that he has settled in his mind
and heart two things:
The big question
For to me to live is Christ and to die
is gain (v21)
To die is gain because to depart this life is to be with Christ (v23).
The word translated 'depart' here carries the meaning of soldiers breaking
camp or a ship loosing its moorings and hauling anchor to set sail.
It is a picture of moving on and, in sharp contrast to the world's view
of death as a cul-de-sac, Paul saw it as a continuation of his relationship
with Christ (2 Cor.5:17) that even death itself cannot break (Ro.8:38-39).
Life's Purpose
I eagerly expect and hope that I will
in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as
always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death
(v20)
The psalmist wrote:
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at
his footstool; he is holy…Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his
holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy (Ps.99:5&9)
The Westminster Confession declares:
Man's chief and highest end is to glorify
God and fully to enjoy him forever
It is well to remember as we share our faith that we are not simply
offering people abstract truths and clever arguments but life in Christ
that makes life or death fruitful and rewarding. In this new life is
revealed the purpose for which we were made. May our lives reflect these
truths as we seek to exalt Christ in our bodies, which is the goal of
every Christian.
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