According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
Have you ever woke up and thought, "Oh, I am still here!" Life is a privilege, indeed! We get to live and to love. For the most part, we get to enjoy life. We get to enjoy the world around us. But, we also know that there is something even better and that is to be with Christ in his full glory. And... that is a promise to all who believe in him.
St. Paul loved the Lord. Although he had once despised Jesus and persecuted his followers; once he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his whole life turned around and he desired to live life with Christ. So it is with many who love Jesus today. We long to be with Jesus! We long to be with the one who loves us so much that he was willing to suffer horribly and die so that we might be forgiven all of our sins and live in his presence.
The good news is that we do not have to wait until death to this world to live with him. He is with you now. He will be with you always. We can live in his peace no matter what this world throws at us.
It would be very nice. It would be absolutely awesome to depart and to be with him even as St. Paul desired to be with him. But, it is also pretty awesome to abide in the flesh in this world and to also be able to abide in him. It is also a privilege to be able to bring the good news to those who do not know Jesus. It is a privilege and it is needful for followers to make more followers of Jesus so that all may look to the day when they will depart to be with Christ in the fullness of God.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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