For me to live is Jesus Christ

Across the Preacher’s Desk

• For me to live is Jesus Christ

There was a little church in Philippi that was near and dear to the Apostle Paul. It had its beginning when he and his companions went to the river to pray and came in contact with a woman from Thyatira by the name of Lydia. The Lord opened her heart and Paul baptized her and her whole household.

Later, Paul would write a letter to this church, and he told them, “For me to live is Christ.”

Have you ever thought about that statement and what it means? It means that we remember the cross on which Jesus died. It means that we never forget all that Jesus did and all that He suffered for us. It is because of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross that we have the forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven if we live His kind of life in obedience to His will.

It also means that we never forget the presence of Jesus. Whether at morning, midday or evening we realize He is our ever-present companion. Day and night, we are conscious that we are in His sight, we are in His care, and He is with us. Certainly, we all feel the presence of Jesus at special moments in life. We feel His presence in worship, we know He is near in prayer. But when we really belong to Jesus, we feel His presence at all times.

Are you living life within the will of God so that He is always near you. Can you say with Paul, “for me to live is Christ”?

It’s something to think about.