19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
To be sure, the great desire of every true Christian is for Christ to be exalted, glorified. The Westminster catechism states the chief end of man is to glorify God. Just as Jesus’ desire was to bring glory to the Father by completing His works, likewise the believer’s desire should be to bring glory to Jesus through their lives through their actions. Jesus prays in John 17 the following to His Father:
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” John 17:1-5 (NIV)
Jesus’ petition for glorification to the Father included sustaining Him through His suffering, accepting His sacrifice, resurrecting Him and finally restoring Him to the pristine glory that He had had prior to His incarnation. The purpose was that the Father would be glorified through the Son and that God’s wisdom, power and love would be made manifest through Jesus bringing Him glory as well. We would do well to remember that as believers we are called to walk as Jesus walked:
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 (NIV)
Paul believed this and demonstrated that belief through his actions. In our verses for today he states that through the prayers of the saints and the power of the Holy Spirit he was confident his courage would remain to exalt Christ through his body - whether by life of by death. The aim and end of his life was Jesus. Indeed, Christ was Paul’s very breath – the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life. Paul therefore desired, as Oswald Chambers’ states, to live his “Utmost for His Highest”. The apostle had an unstoppable determination for Christ’s holiness. The outcome of this determination made no difference to Paul personally – whether by life or by death – he was willing to give his best, his all for Jesus’ glory.
“We should always keep Christ before our eyes. The devil continually tempts us to abandon Christ and seek the Father, saying to ourselves, ‘This or that will please him’. Meanwhile we ignore Christ—the One the Father sent—so that we might listen to Him alone. We respond as the Pharisees did and reject Christ. We wonder, ‘Where is the Father?’ That is the question that world asks. This is the greatest temptation to your faith. You must devote yourself to the Word of Christ and train yourself to hold on to it so that you never lose sight of Jesus.” Martin Luther, Faith Alone.
How does this play out in our lives? How does the rubber meet the road for us so to speak regarding our best for Christ? I know, I know, this was Paul – the apostle - and we are, well, you know, not that. Excuses, excuses, excuses! I wonder if God gets weary of our softness in the faith – of our thinking we are big dogs perhaps because we write a check or do a favor (of course expecting returns) or send up a quick prayer for blessings. Seriously, where are the Paul’s and John’s and Peter’s in our generation? This is our season to shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the Word of life. Our little dot on the time line is passing quickly. We are to make full use of our time not only to help ourselves but also to help those who walk in darkness.
15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Eph 5:15-17 (NIV)
To reach this level of determination Paul expressed, is a matter of the will, not of debate or reasoning. It is absolute surrender. God wants all of us entirely. If we hold back we shrink back. The outcome of Jesus being in complete control of our lives is a life marked with satisfaction and peace. As long as we try to serve two masters – God and ourselves – there will be difficulties combined with doubt and confusion.
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matt 6:24 (NIV)
“Christ regarded the self-loving, self-regarding, self-seeking spirit as the direct antithesis of real living.” J. B. Phillips