"To Live Is Christ"

By the Sidewalk Prophets

If I rise, let me rise on you
Not on all of my successes, my esteem or my pursuits
If I lose, let me lose my life
Cause if I belong to Jesus, the flesh is crucified

For me to live is Christ
For me to live is Christ
For me to live is Christ, to die is gain

If I grow, let me grow in You
Wilt the seeds of wanting more
Rippin' pride out by the roots
And if I'm still, let me hear You speak
Not the tone of my transgressions,
But the song of the Redeemed

My great desire is to be with You
But this is the place you chose for me
This is the place you chose for me
To lift my cross and give everything
This is the time you gave to me
This is the time you gave to me

The song above has been playing on the Christian radio station for quite some time now. Behind the easy-to-follow and sing-along tune is a profound message, filled with truth. The song is based off of a passage in Philippians, a New Testament book of the Bible. Philippians is one of Paul's Epistle (letters), and is written as an appreciation of support from the saints in Philippi. Paul is currently in prison while writing this letter, which creates the unique biblical context of the book.

Philippians 1:19-30 has the subheading of "To Live is Christ," and within verse 21 is the familiar phrase of "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This phrase is in numerous worship songs and thrown around, which makes it easily recognizable to Christians. A non-Christian may hear the phrase and think it bizarre, but even Christians don't fully understand the depth of the phrase.

People tend to focus and live their life in light of the second part of the phrase, "to die is gain." This second part is indeed something to hold on to. If we have Jesus, we're taught that death is not scary, because we are promised eternal life. Our gain is the joys of Heaven and being with Jesus that we contemplate, question and look forward to.

We mustn't neglect the first part of the phrase. In fact, I would argue that presently, it's the more vital part. Since "to live is Christ" is the subheading of a section in Chapter 1, it shows the focus of Paul's message, rather than "to die is gain." To live is Christ, and everything the song encompasses must be the root of how we live our life on Earth.

To live is Christ means to proclaim the Gospel to people far and wide.

To live is Christ means to follow Jesus' example here on Earth.

To live is Christ means to pursue to know God and grow in His Grace and knowledge.

To live is Christ means to be willing to give up anything that prohibits Christ in our life.

The apostle Paul is an example of one who lived for Christ. Even in prison, he found joy in suffering because he passionately believed that if Christ was all he had, he had everything.

The song above grabbed my attention because it notes the reality of what we prioritize, our successes, esteem and pursuits. In our individualistic culture, it's all about the self, which allows pride and selfishness to be planted. The song says to "wilt the seeds of wanting more, rippin' pride out by the roots." This song speaks to me as a prayer to God for strength, with a genuine desire to live as Christ and not of the world.

As Christians, having a longing for Heaven is great. In fact, if one doesn't anticipate Heaven, then they may be enjoying worldly pleasures far too much. The bolded section of the song lyrics states "my great desire is to be with You, but this is the place you chose for me." The gain of death is that we will have more of Christ without the entanglements of sin, but presently, He has us on Earth. We still have Christ just as much on Earth. It's just harder to pursue Him at the level He pursues us. I need to remember that suffering is expected and not something to run away from, but instead embrace it, because with Christ in me, I have everything.

All I have is from Christ, but even if Christ is all I have, I have everything.