I’ve been thinking lately about a passage that was shared at Diana’s funeral last week-” for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
As I have reflected on this passage, I’ve been trying to make sense of this passage. The key to the passage is the phrase “to live is Christ,” but what does it mean? I think Paul answers that earlier in Philippians 1:9-11, and I think Eugene Peterson’s the Message, conveys the message the best:
“So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.”
Live a lover’s life, a life Jesus would be proud of, is something that could be said another way: trust. That is what “faith” is in a way, trusting in the veracity of God saying who He is and what He has done and will do, and then living a life that displays this. That is something that Diana taught me–to trust in the Lord and who He says He is – that He is good and that He is strong.
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