Is Death Really The End?

For Me to Live....

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

Is it possible to live such a profitable life that we have nothing to lose whether we live or die? Yet that is what Paul was saying in this scripture that I met with its full meaning and implications when I was 17 years old. As a teenager I thought it was the most 'romantic' thing I had ever heard or read. I never before envisioned my life as being profitable in any way after my death. It was my belief that life had to be preserved and dying was the most shameful thing. To me, death was a robber and I needed to protect myself even if I knew death did come to people in ways they did not anticipate and sometimes unexpectedly. But, I still figured out life could be lived longer responsibly until it was time to exit, even then dying would still be a shame.

The discovery of this scripture changed my entire perspective. Being alive meant living for Christ and fulfilling his purposes for my life among His people. Dying meant being absent in this body and present in reality with the same loving Saviour. It was a wonderful bargain: "O death, where is your sting? O death where is your victory? 1 Col 15:55. To know that truth made me the biggest winner I ever thought I could be.

Seventeen (now 20) years later as I reflect backwards, it is still amazing that life can be lived so profitably in Christ here on earth and still continue to be meaningful after I die. Through the years I have sang the above scripture with relish knowing it is true. Now I have children of my own and I want so much to be alive and take care of them. At the same time I do see other people dying leaving little children behind and it breaks my heart over and over again. But, it is comforting to know that in God's economy, death does not make us 'bankrupt', we live beyond our lives on earth and get to enjoy even more bliss when we die. Why would anyone refuse such a wonderful bargain?

Am I saying I want to die now? No, of course not. What then am I saying? That I am not afraid of death, it is not the end of things and here is life beyond the grave. Death is supposed to be the one thing that casts a dark cloud over life, but not anymore. With the knowledge that Christ lifted that cloud many years ago and now we can look beyond and see life after death, we can look ahead and know that one day we shall cross a certain road into another life beyond this life. Rest assured that when our physical bodies join other matter in the universe, our spiritual person will move on to another sphere to continue to be with Christ, no one can hold us back. This body is only good for interaction with this decaying world, that is why our bodies will face decay and have to come to an end some day no matter how long we live.

For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. How comforting those words and how wonderful the truth! It is open to all who will take it.