Living and Dying for Jesus (Phiippians 1)

Philippians 1 verse 27-29 says:

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

How does Paul live ‘in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus’? He tells us in the verses ahead:

• He is going to stand firm and contend (v.27)
• He is not going to be alarmed or fearful (v.28)
• He is going to keep believing Jesus and His promises (v.29)
• He is going to suffer for Jesus sake, if that’s what it takes (v.29)

In doing all this Paul was committing himself to live in a manner that the gospel of Jesus Christ deserves. Wow! Talk about heavy.

But how do you go from the life you are living now, to the life that Paul is describing above?

If we scroll back a couple of verses, Paul reveals the core belief that he had that enabled him to live as he did, for the sake of the gospel.

Philippians 1:21 says:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

This is the attitude and conviction of someone who lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

“To live is Christ”. Jesus is my life. He is who I live for and a real, living, deep, earnest relationship with Him is what sustains me. Because I walk with Jesus, I walk like Jesus walked. I love what He loves and hate what He hates. He is my life and I love Him.

“And to die is gain” Beyond living with Jesus and walking with Him here on earth, there is only death. But I want you to know, even that is a win for me! Death is no threat. In fact, it’s a reward to me because then I will be with Him forever! If I live I win, and if you kill me, it’s check mate!

What a radical, focused, purposeful and liberated life!

Let’s pursue it together!

PRAYER: Father, I want to live with this sole focus in my heart – to live fully for you, or to be fully with you. I choose to love you and live for you Lord in life or death. Enable me by your Spirit today, In Jesus name, Amen.