One often hears older people say when their joints ache and the ailments come on more frequently, that it is better than the alternative, meaning death. Because it is all we’ve ever known, most of us tend to cling to this life. We can talk much about life in Heaven, but we really don’t embrace it as a better alternative. Instead, we embrace the known and the comfortable, which is the earthly life we live.
Perhaps this is why we can almost be obsessed with staving off death, whether by searching out the “super foods” which experts tell us will keep us healthy and extend our lives, becoming fitness junkies, or exhausting every medical procedure or treatment to prolong our lives, if only for a few months. Perhaps it is also why so many are risk-adverse, not participating in any activity they think might possibly be a threat to their lives, such as flying, traveling to a foreign country, or riding a motorcycle.
Paul takes a different view and it is one we believers need to re-examine. Paul saw death as not something to avoid at all costs, but as a door to a much better existence. And as a result, we see a life well lived. He did not fear death, for it promised something much greater, which enabled him to live a life fully committed to the Lord. This fearlessness allowed him to fulfill God’s will, to not shrink back from the inherent dangers of bringing light into the darkness.
As Paul did, we live in a time of great darkness. Terrorism, slavery, and crime abound. Add to that natural disasters and disease and the facts are clear that we live in a world full of danger and risk. It is a lost world for which Jesus came to save. He has not returned because there is still work to be done. There are still so many who have never heard the Gospel. Yet, our fear of death is inhibiting fulfilling God’s call to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
If we cling to this life so much that we are not willing to take any risks of losing it, then how will the Muslims of the Middle East ever hear about Jesus? Who will tell them? How will the poor in the slums of cities around the world, including in our own nation, hear of the hope and freedom there is in Christ? Who will share it with them? How will the millions in Europe who don’t believe hear how much God loves them? Who will live among them in order to share this news with them?
Of course, we are not all called to go into these dangerous places, but we all play a part in creating an environment that promotes risk-taking for the sake of the Gospel. And by clinging to Jesus rather than our own lives, we do just that. We create a community that views this type of risk-taking not as heroic, but as normative for the Church. Thus, the natural result is men and women coming out of this community with a zeal for spreading the Gospel regardless of the risk, and without hearing the worldly wisdom that they should instead remain cautious and safe.
The truth Paul has to say to us is this: the less we hold on to this life, the more freedom we have to live it to the fullest, which in his understanding would be to live it for the Lord. Today, consider how much you are clinging to this life. Is it preventing you and others from living fearlessly for Jesus, and thus the Gospel from being shared with the masses living in darkness? Something to think about as you prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.
© Jim Musser 2015
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