“For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
The Apostle Paul recognized that he could not always control his surroundings, but he could always remain focused on one thing and that is regardless of where he ended up, his life would bring honor to Christ.
Honoring Christ means not living for ourselves. Paul declared that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Although Paul understood that dying would usher him immediately into God’s presence, he also recognized that living was much more fruitful, especially for those he was helping to grow in their faith. Because of this, Paul took his role as an ambassador of the gospel very seriously.
The gospel of Jesus is a sacred trust. Paul, being fully convinced of this, admonishes believers to conduct themselves worthy of it:
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.”-Philippians 1:27
Above all, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. You are citizens of the Kingdom of God, so act like it! Live your life as if you are the only representation of the Gospel of Jesus, to which people will ever be exposed. That is a weighty concept, but if we truly believe Romans 1:16:
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
Then our conduct should reflect the seriousness of the gospel we live and proclaim.
Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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