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Life is Always Getting Better

Paul’s words in Philippians 1 must be among the heaviest words the apostle ever penned: that there is a reality available to humanity that is not only better than life itself but far better! So much so, that death is both insignificant and gainful compared to what awaits us in Heaven…Jesus. Death is no longer the end of life, but the usher to its eternal fullness. If this can be said about the ultimate loss, what does it say about lesser everyday losses? The loss of status or even health? What do these losses have to say in the face of a man or woman who believes that "to live is Christ and to die is gain”? The answer is simple—if you can’t take Jesus from me, then you can’t really take anything from me. If He is my everything, and that is secure, then there is nothing I can lose that can truly be a loss.

The truth is that every day we live we approach the day we die. The clock is ticking, and we are all moving closer to the end. But the beautiful thing about living for Christ is that we are assured that life is always getting better. Our worst days are reminders that the "better by far" is on its way. And even our best days are reminders of the same thing: "better by far" days are on their way! Insecurity and fear over what will happen to us will struggle to breathe in an atmosphere where Christ is the goal of better days and where Christ is the summit of all our wishes. Oh how great for us to say, "My days are better because I have more knowledge, communion, and relationship with Jesus today than yesterday. And when I take my last breath, I will have all of Him forever!" For Paul, no promotion, following, or relationship could alone represent the highlights of his life. They cannot secure us. Only as much as those things take us deeper in Christ do we know true "gain." Everyday we live pursuing Christ, we move closer to never-ending gain, joy, and happiness. And we are not merely waiting to know this superior happiness; we can know shades of it now as we hope in its full revelation in the future.