For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
This is another tough verse. This is one of those verses that we could ponder the rest of our lives and still never reach the depths nor the height of it. But, it’s a good one. The whole concept of this verse is that if we live a Christian life for God, it’s a win-win situation. No matter what happens, whether we live or whether we die, either way is gain. You can’t just read one part of this verse without applying the other. Most people will read “to die is gain” and completely skip over the first parts. Don’t make that mistake. Let’s break down each part. “For to me” – this is a statement of the personal, as it should be for all God’s people. Some aspects of Christianity we speak of in terms of for us. Some we speak of for me. Our faith is both mutual and individual. “To live is Christ” – Christians live to serve Christ. There is no part of human life that should not be for Christ. “And to die is gain” – as much as we live for Christ in this world, it simply pales in comparison to what is to come for a believer upon death. In all honesty, death is scary to most of us. However, no Christian should ever fear death, but rather they should welcome it. Only if we can say that for us to live is Christ, will we be able to look forward to death as a gain. If we cannot live in harmony with one another in this life in our common obedience to Christ, how can we look forward to living together in Heaven?
Spiritual Steve 