November 05th, 2012

Have you ever thought to yourself… it would be better off if I was dead?  Usually we don’t vocalize such thoughts.  Why? We don’t want people to get the wrong idea.    In Philippians Chapter  1, verse 21 Paul says: “ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”   Was Paul real or what? He didn’t have an issue discussing his innermost thoughts!  Have you ever felt like to die would be gain for you?  Maybe that sounds absurd and morbid to you?  Perhaps right now you are going through difficulties, challenges, you are being hard pressed on every side like Paul was?  Consider the Apostle Paul who stood in a jail cell wanting nothing more than to glorify Christ Jesus when he wrote this letter to the church at Philippi.  He was in a dilemma of sorts… part of him was ready to depart and go be with Jesus and stop the suffering, and the other part of him knew that his work was not yet complete.  Friends we don’t get to choose the time when we leave this life.  Yet, we can look forward to that day, and have a healthy perspective that as Paul says,  “ to die and be with Jesus is better by far!”  I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to spending eternity with Jesus Christ in heaven!  I can’t even imagine how amazing it will be!  I get excited to even think about it!  No more pain, no more sadness, no more disease, peace and joy and fellowship with Jesus in person!!!!!  I need to remind myself of this…and stay focused on the goal! Recently I visited the Hearst Castle in California with my wife and youngest  kids.  I stood and marveled at the amazing landscape, ocean views, swimming pools, statues, tapestries, and all the imported art from all over Europe, etc.  This place is incredible.  Think about this a man spent his whole life collecting, creating, and designing this amazing retreat, it cost a fortune to build and the treasures all around are priceless. That man was William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper mogul, and  he was nowhere to be found! Of course, he has been gone for over 60 years. Yet there I was in "his" mansion, his "custom castle," I  sat in the same chairs as he did!  Lounged by his pools and guess what, he wasn't anywhere to be found!  We can't take any of it with us when we get called home.  Let's devote our time on earth building up treasures in heaven!  We must remind ourselves regularly that this life on earth is for just a moment, a flash,  compared to eternity!    Thank you for letting me share.  Randy Young

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