Paul’s sole existence is found in Christ. The apostle Paul is saying that everything he has tried to be, everything he is, and everything he looked forward to, each and every one of them has to do with living for Jesus. From the time of his conversion until his martyrdom, every move he made was aimed at advancing the gospel and the kingdom of Christ. Paul’s singular aim was to bring glory to Jesus. Paul lived for Jesus; that was his sole purpose in life.
“To live is Christ” means everything we do is for the sole purpose of glorifying Him. It means even willing to give up anything that prevents us from having Christ. That’s what Paul meant when he declared “For to me to live is Christ.” Paul gave up everything that he might have Christ. He boldly declared: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” (Php 3:7-8).
Paul did not marry, did not start a family, did not pursue a career, did not pursue a course to fulfil his life’s passion or make a name for himself, did not relax so that he could enjoy his life, yea, none of those things mattered to him. In fact, he had to give up a whole lot of things he used to enjoy in order to follow Christ. The things that mattered to him now were Jesus, His kingdom, the preaching of the gospel, and the souls of men (1 Cor 2:2; Rom 10:1).
How about us? Can we say the same as Paul, “For to me to live is Christ”? For mothers, perhaps their sole existence is for the children. For fathers, perhaps their sole existence is to provide for the family. For athletes, their sole existence is to win an Olympic gold medal. Some live for their loved ones and some for glory.
I’m not saying we should be like Paul – become a confirmed bachelor and a preacher. There is nothing wrong in desiring to get marry and raise a family. There is nothing sinful about having a career or a hobby. God encourages marriage (1 Cor 7:2; Heb 13:4). BUT, if those blessings become so important to us, that we are consumed by those desires and our efforts to pursue them and they get in the way of our relationship with the Lord Jesus, then it is a BIG PROBLEM that needs to be dealt with. We become Christians who live for ourselves instead of for Jesus.
Our Lord says: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:21). If earthly things begin to make us want to stick around longer and to enjoy what this world has to offer, then we need to rethink who we are and our relationship with Christ. Why? Because God has a purpose and a plan for all of us and He wants us to live also for Him. Therefore, as much as we pray for all those blessings mentioned earlier, we must pray even more for the Lord to use us to reveal His glory and lead others to Christ (2 Tim 2:20-21).
So, “to live is Christ” means the following:
- To live in such a way that Christ is glorified through us (Matt 5:16).
- To serve Christ (2 Tim 2:21).
- To be in such close relationship with Christ that we are always mindful of His existence (James 4:8).
Unfortunately, not all Christians will live for Jesus. Many live for themselves and Paul lamented about it: “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Php 2:21). Many are pursuing their happiness without Christ. Some put their jobs before serving Christ. Some put their family first before Christ. Some have their hobbies and some prefer to sleep tight on Sunday. They do not have Christ as their first priority. They are all seeking their own things and not the things of Jesus.
Is the relationship with Christ important to you? Are you working hard to make this relationship with Jesus a happy and successful one? If every Christian would live for Jesus the same way they would peruse an earthly relationship, we would have converted the world long ago.
For Paul, living means living for Christ; what about us? What am I living for? What are you living for? Let us live for Jesus.
I love this hymn: Living For Jesus. By Thomas O. Chisholm
Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Refrain:
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.
Jimmy Lau
Psa 119:97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.