Quality of Life

For I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:19-27).

We live in a world that is very concerned about something called "quality of life". Millions of dollars are spent on government programs that are designed to improve the "quality of life" for disadvantaged Americans. Doctors who diagnose possible birth defects in a fetus often ask pregnant women to consider abortion on the basis of whether or not their baby can realistically expect to enjoy "quality of life". And many families wrestle with the question of what to do about the life of a terminally ill loved one—does the cancer patient or the victim of AIDS have "quality of life"?

What is "quality of life"? Ask ten different people and you’ll get ten different answers. Some will emphasize personal comfort—they don’t want to be in pain, they don’t want to be living in poverty. Others will speak of fulfillment—they want to have a purpose for getting out of bed in the morning. Many will speak of relationships—they don’t want to live their life alone. But at the root of every person’s answer, I suspect that you’ll find a similar sentiment—"I want to be happy."

Saint Paul wrote today’s Epistle while he was in prison. By many people’s standards, he was not experiencing "quality of life". But the tone of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is one of joy and contentment. Paul is not weighed down by his circumstances; in fact, he actually finds things to rejoice in.

In order to understand where Paul is coming from, we need to consider one of his most personal, most joyous statements—he writes to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. What a remarkable statement of faith! It is so deep that at first reading most of us fail to understand the true depths of Paul’s relationship with our Savior. Just what does Paul mean, to live is Christ and to die is gain?

To live is Christ. A simple sentence, but so rich in meaning. Paul is saying that Christ defines his life in every way possible. Some people look at life and see only hopelessness. The world around them is filled with anger, broken promises, and the inevitable deaths of those they love. They see sickness and lawlessness and hypocrisy, and they wonder why they should go on living. They see the effects of sin, and they experience the misery that sin brings.

Paul saw sin as well. Paul experienced the effects of sin in a very personal way; in the seventh chapter of his letter to the Romans, he wrote I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it…What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? But Paul did not give in to despair—instead, he next wrote Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Paul gave thanks to God, because our heavenly Father sent Jesus to die for our sins. All of the Father’s anger at our evil ways was inflicted on Jesus, the perfect Son of God. Jesus suffered our rightful punishment, so that we need not be slaves to sin and enemies of the God who hates sin. Because of Jesus the Christ, citizenship in God’s kingdom of heaven is available to all who turn away from the pleasures of sin and instead embrace the forgiving love of Christ.

Paul still committed sins, of course—we all fall prey to sin every day that we are alive. But Paul found joy in life because he believed with absolute certainty that Jesus had risen from the grave and lives eternally. And because Jesus lives, He is always there to forgive, to comfort, to strengthen, and to lead. Jesus’ life had been all about serving the needs of others; His death on our behalf was the ultimate expression of loving service to others. When God revealed this truth to Paul, it had changed his life. Paul now looked at his life as a way to say "thank you" to Jesus for the undeserved blessing of forgiveness and heavenly love. For Paul, to live is Christ. To live is to dedicate every waking moment to Jesus.

Every day should be lived in thankfulness. Paul had excellent reasons to grumble—he was attacked by mobs, he was beaten, and he was imprisoned, all for no other reason than that he preached about Jesus. But Paul did not grumble or complain, and he urges us in Ephesians chapter five to Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). The hope that Jesus brings gives us no reason to grumble or complain about our present circumstances.

For Paul, to live is Christ also meant that all his time and energy centered on serving Jesus. That meant that he studied the scriptures and prayed regularly, looking for Jesus to guide him in all his decisions. Lead by Jesus, Paul applied his energy in many ways. He announced the grace of God offered through Jesus to every stranger that he met. He spent time helping other Christians learn how to work together in the church, instead of wasting time with needless squabbling. He helped those in need, by organizing a famine relief drive for the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. And when Paul worked at making tents, it was only to feed himself so that he could continue to do the most important work of serving Jesus by serving God’s children. Jesus came to serve others; Paul took very seriously Jesus’ words whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:43-45).

To die is gain. Until we die, we are tainted with sin. We are forgiven, yet we still sin over and over again. Only death releases us from sin forever. Only death ushers us into our Savior’s presence, where we may finally see Him eye to eye. And if we know who Jesus is, if we have a relationship of love and trust with Him, this will be a most glorious meeting! Paul looked forward to seeing his Savior more than anything else. Our Lord invites us to a place where there is no disease, no feebleness of old age, no death. There is no fighting there, no bigotry, no laziness, no loneliness. In heaven there is no sin, no temptation to do evil. There is only the love of God and the perfected fellowship of all believers.

Paul says that if he were forced to make a choice between serving Jesus on earth or enjoying heaven, the decision would be hard. Heaven is perfection, but continued life on earth is continued opportunity to say thank you to Jesus by being His servant to people who need to be touched by God’s love. In the end, Paul decides, it is better to serve for now, to seize every moment that God gives to show His love in a world that stumbles in the darkness of sin.

So what about "quality of life"? If we define "quality of life" as having a reason to get out of bed in the morning, then every Christian has "quality of life". God gives us our reason to live. Our Lord has given us things to do for Him in life, according to Ephesians chapter 2, we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

If we define "quality of life" as freedom from loneliness, then every Christian has "quality of life". God has promised: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). And when we thank our Lord by serving others in their need, we are together with God’s other children, sharing the blessings of His love together.

If we define "quality of life" as not living in want or need, then every Christian has "quality of life". We in America have so much compared to people in other parts of the world, that we often forget that computers and cars and private homes and college educations are luxuries, not necessities for living. God promises to give us what we need to stay alive and serve Him; He often gives us more, but His promise is to take care of our needs. Our Lord tells us: Do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:31-33).

There are some who would object to what I’ve written. They would say that no one should have to live with a serious birth defect, in severe poverty, or in constant pain. To such people I would hold out Helen Keller, who did great things in life despite being both blind and deaf. I would remind them that God creates all life, and every life is precious to Him—Jesus said, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). The fact is, even when we are burdened with affliction, we can be useful to God. Consider Jesus’ words when He spoke of the Final Judgment: Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:34-40). Just think: if you find yourself confined to a hospital bed, God can use your situation to allow others to serve Him by serving you! Even a Christian who is an invalid can be a way for God to show blessings to His people. And as to Paul: I would like to remind you that even while he sat in prison, he wrote Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 2nd Timothy! Much of the New Testament was written by God through a man who many would say was not experiencing "quality of life".

God’s love serves others in their needs. Jesus suffered death itself because we needed Him to die in order that we could live in heaven. Jesus shares His love with us; He forgives our sins and He enables us to reflect His love, although imperfectly, to others. As long as we are alive, God gives us opportunities to share His love. As Christians, we share that love with others in their need, and we do it thankfully, grateful for every opportunity to say "thank you" to our Lord for all that He has done for us. Heaven will be wonderful, but like Paul, let us never tire of doing good on Christ’s behalf. Jesus defines our lives—our "quality of life" is found in Him alone.