We Are Called To Be Faithful Witnesses

29 Oct

My eager expectation and hope
is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,
but that with all boldness, now as always,
Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.  (Phil 1:20-23)

In St. Paul’s letter to the Church in Phillipi, he talked about his life and his impending death.  Paul was confident and unafraid.  He realized that he was entrusted to a mission.  And he was torn because of it.

Torn because, while he longed to be of us to Jesus, he longed, even more, to die and go home to the Lord.

I think we can all relate to that.

All of us at one point or another in our lives have said pretty much the same thing.

We long for the glory of God — for all sorts of reasons.  Some might long for death because it will mean an end to suffering.  Some might long for death because it will mean a reunion with loved ones who have already died.  Still others might long for death because it will give them the opportunity to see God face to face, which is the soul’s greatest draw.

However, while we long for death, we realize that we still have a mission here on earth.

Christ has called us all to be faithful witnesses of His love in our world.  Until He calls us to Himself, that should be our number one priority.

FAITH ACTION:  Who comes first in your life, you or Jesus?  Make sure that you put Jesus first today.  It most likely will be by doing something for another rather than for self.  Go to it!