Philippians 1:25 – “Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.” (NLT)
Paul is between a rock and a hard place. He is juxtaposed between two worlds. His earnest desire is to be with Christ. But he feels he might benefit the body of Christ more if he stays around a while longer. He says in verse 23, “I’m torn between two desires…” Through this inner conflict comes forth a classic New Testament verse: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (1:21) This is a tremendous perspective that believers should possess. Living is all about serving Jesus. Dying is not a bad option either. Paul calls it a gain, a plus. Heaven is not bad.
Verse 25 contains a conviction that I’ve long held about our existence on this planet. We are here to serve. We are still alive because we can reach someone and help someone. Paul declares he is still alive for two reasons: 1) To help you grow; and 2) to help you experience the joy of your faith. Too many people lose the joy. I think that happens because we get our eyes off the main things. We get distracted with the negative. We also lose our joy when we don’t pray. The bottom line is this: if you want joy you need to spend time in His presence.
Back to Paul’s purpose for a minute. Why are you still here? If it was all about heaven then we should have died when we became a believer. Why are you still here? I believe because there are people for you to reach, people you can help to grow, and people you can help keep the joy. Who can you touch today and help make a difference? Be convinced that you have this purpose and you will be sure to help people along the journey.