“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 

“For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭AMP‬‬

What’s your favorite sweet taste? I love anything that is cinnamony. And my favorite sweet combination: Peanut butter and chocolate. Yum! Our American palates have been trained toward sweet more than we realize, but the truth is our penchant for sweetness has dulled our ability to really taste food. More on that in a moment. 

Do you ever take time for fasting and prayer? I know, I know. It can be intimidating to even think about, but it is one of the most challenging and beneficial disciplines that you can undertake for your spiritual growth. I encourage you to take the leap! God may show you something like He did for me recently. 

Our church usually starts the year with 21 days of prayer and fasting. It’s a great way to reset and refocus for the coming year. During our most recent season of fasting and prayer I felt led to give up the sweetener in my morning coffee. I like to do something that is a first-thing daily reminder. I actually gave up coffee completely during one season, something I never thought I would be able to do! But that season helped me to know that when I put Jesus ahead of my own comfort, anything is possible. 

I was surprised at the way that God spoke to me through my sweetener-free season and, here’s the thing that really caught my attention, I have learned that I don’t need the sweetener to enjoy coffee. I never expected that result at all! I realized that I actually taste the coffee better without the sweetener and, since the 21 days have ended, I haven’t gone back. That surprising revelation led me to some contemplation and, I think, God-thoughts. Would you like to hear them? 

As I began to enjoy the taste of unsweetened coffee I became aware that there was no aftertaste. I always thought that coffee had an aftertaste, but with no sweetener (we usually use stevia now) there was no aftertaste. So, not only could I actually taste the coffee while I was drinking it, there was no lingering taste of “regret.” That got me thinking about a lot. Have you ever watched someone add spoonfuls of sugar or sweetener to their coffee? Do they actually taste coffee or  the sweetener? Good chefs will tell you that adding a little bit of sugar is not meant to cover up the bitter aspects of food, but to enhance the actual flavor, right? Coffee is somewhat bitter without sweetener, but that is it’s natural flavor. When I use a lot of sweetener, I taste sweetener and then it leaves an aftertaste that is unpleasant. It tastes okay at the time, but not as good after. 

So, where are the God-thoughts you are asking?  Well, it goes along with using sweet to cover up bitter rather than to enhance flavor.  Just as we look to sweetness to cover up a bitter taste, there may be times when you and I look to the sweetness of God’s presence to cover over everything that is bitter in our lives. We may look to time in God’s presence as an escape from the realities of our painful lives. 

Let’s face it. Every life at it’s best is still filled with pain. Unfortunately, that is why many people love to “worship.” It helps them forget their pain. Here’s a thought: Worship that is focused on making me feel good is worshiping something other than God. Just saying. The person who only likes coffee with lots of cream and sugar doesn’t really ever taste the coffee. They taste the extras. The person who looks to worship as a way to escape the bitterness of life, to cover it over with God’s sweetness,  doesn’t actually taste life so they never really experience God’s presence in the reality of their life. It’s an artificial experience of God’s presence. God wants to help us through and to enhance the bitter times. It is only in the midst of our real and painful lives that we genuinely experience God’s presence in meaningful ways. It is as we “taste” the bitterness that we allow the sweetness of His presence to bring out whatever good there is in what we are experiencing. Actually experiencing His sweetness along with the bitterness of life enables you and I to carry the sweetness of His presence to others. 

So, here’s a question to ask yourself: Am I looking to God’s presence as my source of life or to help me escape from the reality of life? 

The apostle Paul knew pain and he knew God, but here’s the thing that really made the difference in his life: He knew God in the midst of his pain. It was that knowing that enabled him to declare that “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) He understood that his present pain was temporary and a normal part of life and he looked to God to carry him through it until the day when he would be pain-free in God’s presence eternally. 

Here’s the bottom line, my friend. 

Living for Christ means that He is the reason and the source of life. That sounds pretty straightforward, but often we look to living for Christ as a means of escape from life rather than as the reason and source that gives us hope and joy in the midst of our painful earthly existence. We look to His sweetness to cover up, rather than enhance, the reality of our lives. When we allow His sweetness to enhance the bitterness of our lives we find ourselves living with meaning and purpose. We find ourselves satisfied in life, even though it is full of pain. He becomes our source of strength, purpose, joy and hope rather than a means of escape. Over the years, that has become my experience. 

Living in God’s presence does not mean that I escape from the difficulties. It means that I learn to see Him in the midst of them. Our friend, the apostle Paul, never looked to Jesus as an escape from the difficulties he faced. He did experience some times of miraculous deliverance, but he did not expect that in every case. However, he did expect God to carry him through and to be present with him in the midst of all that he experienced, from the worst to the best.  That’s why he was able to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.“ (Philippians 4:13) 

Every one of us faces challenges that no one else ever really knows about, whether it is in our family relationships or physical suffering or mental battles. We endure loss and conflict on a daily basis. It would not be appropriate for me to share every challenge of my life with you, just as you couldn’t tell me everything. But I will tell you this: In the midst of my darkest nights, I have found the presence of God with me to be my hope, joy and peace. He is the power that has sustained me and made my life worth living. That is my prayer for you, my friend. Living for Jesus is worth it, even when life is painful. 

Living for Christ means the I keep my hope focused on the future regardless of what trials I face right now. Death is not the worst thing that can happen because it opens up the best thing. This is a tough one for a lot of us. It’s hard to imagine life beyond this one. We spend so much time building our earthly life that we forget it is only temporary. Our personal life on earth will end at some point, but more than that, life on earth as humans know it will end. Some day Jesus will return and that will culminate all of history. When my life on earth ends it means that I get to really start living, perfectly and perpetually pain-free in the presence of God. Just stop here and ponder that for a moment!

The day of Christ’s return will be the day when all His purposes are complete and His glory is fully revealed to all, believers and unbelievers. Isn’t that the day that matters most? Worldly leaders will come and and go. The nations are “a drop in the bucket” Isaiah says. (Isaiah 40:15) When we keep that eternal perspective, earthly changes don’t shake us up, because our hope is firmly founded on the unshakeable kingdom that is to come rather than the tenuous times that take our eyes off of what really matters, the establishment of our Heavenly Father’s kingdom. (Hebrews 12:28) Understanding what really matters guides how we live. To live is Christ.  If God’s presence in my life is what matters most to me, then my choices need to reflect that because I want to be found in Him when He returns. To die is gain.

So, Dear Friend, thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you. I pray that they encourage you. No matter what you may be facing right now, no matter how bitter it may be. Experiencing His presence in the reality of our lives — which, let’s face it, are difficult in non-pandemic times and even more difficult in the midst of a global pandemic — enables Him to fill our lives with His sweetness.

I pray that you will be able to look to God’s presence as your source of sweetness, life, joy and hope. It really is tempting to want to escape. But keeping your eyes fixed on your eternal future can bring the sweetness of God’s presence to the bitterest of circumstances. 

We are in the this together, Dear Friend. 

Key Thought: Living for Christ means that I face life’s painful realities with hope. 

A Scripture to consider: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 

“For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭AMP‬‬

A YES challenge: As you think about your current life pain, are you looking to God to help you escape the pain or live for Him through it? Take some time to talk with Him about it. 

Prayer: Lord, You know all that I am going through right now. I wish that it would all go away! Forgive me for the times when I have looked to You as an escape rather than my source of joy and my reason to live in the midst of it. I look forward to the day when I will live in your presence in heaven, perpetually pain-free. Thank You for the hope of heaven that makes life on earth bearable. Amen.