To Die

As I made mention on Monday; last week I had the opportunity to spend some time with some men who had in the past given their lives to their addiction.  That is all they thought about, it was their life. Think about it for a moment; their one thought was get up get high and find a way to get some money so they could stay high. Let me tell you about one of those men. I remember the first time we met he talked, I listened and he made no sense what so ever. Let me give you an example of what his conversation was like. “I want to tell you my wife then she had it but the bus came and I didn’t understand why that month she did go to the store in the house across the street I think but they moved.” For 30 long minutes he talked to me like that and when he left I was so confused myself I had to go to a mirror to see if it was really me.  God has done a great work in his life. He and his wife are back together and they are both serving the Lord. I read these verses and I stopped and thought for a moment of how this man has so encouraged me.

Philippians 1:20  According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Now that last verse “For me to live is_________ there are a lot of things that could go in that blank now the spiritual answer is Christ but what would be the true answer in our life? For me to live is my business, my sport, my home, my kids, my success, my family, my friends, my education or my dream. There could be a lot of things other than Christ but if you and I are living for any of those things then to die is not gain but loss. I don’t know that I have ever heard the man whose life I have been talking about quote Philippians 1:21 but he says it every day in the way he lives his life. He went from “For me to live is Drugs” to “For me to live is Christ.” In the drug world to die is loss but to live for Christ is gain; I’m so glad that the Lord allowed our paths to cross. We parted last Thursday and he flew home we texted each other a time or two and one of his last text this is what he said to me “You are a true and great friend.” What if that first night we met I would have written him off? I would have never gotten to see him grow in the Lord, I would have never gotten to see him serve the Lord, and I would never have had a part in seeing him and his wife come back together. Never give up on anyone no matter how bad the sin in their life looks for the Lord can do wonders in a life; He did in mine and if you think about it He has in yours too.