(From the archives with thanks to my brother James, who gave me the idea in 2014.)
Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 2:21: “For all seek their own, not the things which are Christ’s.” My younger brother did not know that he was giving me an idea for an article when he shared with me in an Email that a speaker that he heard pointed out the contrast between these two verses. I read them for the Lord only knows how many times, but I had never put them together like that speaker did. Needless to say, this got my imagination to whirling and I suggested to my brother that he would see this on a blog. What we have in these two verses is two opposing philosophies of life. I will begin with the negative philosophy: “For all seek their own, not the things which are Christ’s.” In the first place, this is a selfish way to live. There are many people who live each day only to satisfy their whims and fancies. When we do what comes naturally, we live by this philosophy. Go back to the Genesis account of the first sin. God told Adam and Adam told Eve that they were not to eat the fruit of the “knowledge of good and evil,” because if they did they would die. One day Eve was tempted to eat of the delicacy, or what she must have considered a delicacy, and she succumbed. Then she gave to Adam and he ate the fruit. This first sin was rebellion against God, because Adam and Eve decided to “seek their own” and satisfy their own desires. In the second place, this is a foolish way to live, because while people are “seeking their own,” they are not thinking of “the things which are Christ’s.” The NIV translates it: “For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” This is the philosophy of the person who does not know Christ. All he knows is to look out for his own interests. Some of those interests might be good, but they are leaving Christ out of their lives. Now we will turn to the positive philosophy: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This means that Christ was at the very center of Paul’s life, and can also be the center of our lives. Paul wrote it in this way in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself from me.” Paul’s positive philosophy was the result of his faith in Christ, and of His appreciation for the fact that Christ “gave Himself for me.” In the first place, this is a selfless way to live. This is not to say that people who live by this positive philosophy are always selfless, for none of us are perfect. But it does mean that if we have this selfless philosophy, we will seek to follow God’s will for our lives. It also means that when we put Christ first, we have better relationships with people. In the second place, this is a wise way to live. Paul advised in Ephesians 5:15-16: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. 16. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Living “circumspectly” means to live carefully. In other words, we need to watch our step lest we do something foolish. If Christ is at the center of our lives, we are more likely to live wisely. Make sure that you live by the philosophy of Philippians 1:21 and stay away from the philosophy in Philippians 2:21. Bro. Joe
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|