Passage of the Day: Philippians 1:21 … For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
My Journal for Today: Short verse ... powerful implications. The Apostle Paul says it – flat out – in today’s verse (copied above). To Paul, as it should be for all Christians, Christ was his all-in-all. And John MacArthur, in today’s devotional from Strength for Today, clearly states, “… true contentment is found only in Christ.”
However, it is unfortunately the case that many people, and even many Christians, have bought into the worldly view of life summarized by the bumper sticker … “The man who dies with the most toys wins!” And it’s time for all of us to stop and honestly see if that sticker applies, even remotely, to our lives; because, if it does, for us to live is fleshly gain and to die is cheapened by our greed.
The Apostle Paul went on (in Phil. 4: 11 – 12) to express God’s truth about contentment; and he did so from his own personal witness [writing while he was imprisoned!]. He declared that having things or not having things was (or is) not where contentment is found. Real contentment, to Paul, only comes from a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus, … THE Christ.
So, I come to this place in life with my own testimony of this truth, after many years in my past seeking contentment as the world would have it … looking for the accumulation of “stuff,” especially monetary accumulation to produce security and contentment. Now I can clearly, and very personally, support what Paul is saying in today’s verse … that my contentment has been found in a pursuit to know God through my relationship with Christ. I now know, as Paul witnessed, that only pursuing Christ can and will bring me contentment. And to this end, my pursuit will continue until I’m with my Lord in glory.
My Prayer Today: Thank You for teaching me that You are everything, Lord! Amen
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