Heavenly Goals

In the first chapter of the book of Philippians Paul explains to the church at Philippi that he is ""hard-pressed from both directions."" As he awaits his fate at the hands of the Roman government he contemplates the issue of life and death. He says in chapter 1 and verse 21, ""For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."" He goes on in verses 23 and 24 to say that he has, ""the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake."" Paul's attitude towards life and death represent serious departures from traditional thought.

Paul didn't see death as something to be fought against; he didn't even see it as something to fear. He saw it as the beginning of something that he looked forward to with longing. In verse 24 when Paul speaks of ""remaining on in the flesh,"" he sounds like a person who is looking forward to taking off their work-clothes and taking a much-needed rest. He talks about Christ transforming ""the body of our humble state"" (Phil 3:21) in absolute concrete, matter-of-fact terms.

Why don't we hear people talk like that anymore? In many ways religion in general and Christianity in particular have passed into such common usage that many of the things, which were so concrete to Paul, have become vague concepts in our culture, so that today heaven is not so much a place one longs to go, but a concept that means something like ""really, really good."" It is similar to the way the devil has become a cartoon character with horns and a pitchfork, and not a deadly being who wants nothing more than to help us on the way to hell (another very real place).

Christians should make a conscious effort to divest themselves of such shallow interpretations of weighty spiritual concerns. How can a person focus his entire life on striving for an eternal home that has been reduced to something approaching Disney World or a really good piece of chocolate cake?

When we replace heaven to its rightful place, then our perspective on this life starts to resemble Paul's perspective more closely as well. When you think of heaven in terms a real place that can be attained (read Revelation 21), it becomes all you can do to tolerate this existence no matter how pleasant it might be at times. That's the place Paul was in, he knew where he was going and he couldn't wait to get there.

However, that is not to say that we should over-minimize the importance to be attached to this life. Paul said that he was torn. He knew he wanted to be with Christ, ""for that is very much better."" (Phil 1:23) He also knew that there were people who needed him, and that as long as he was alive God would make good use of him. (Phil 1:22)

Paul had to balance his desires for himself against the needs of his brethren and his service to God. As Christians it is important that we remember that our lives are not our own (Rom. 6:22) The Lord demands that our concerns for salvation extend beyond ourselves and include our brethren. (Phil 2:4) We are all individually accountable for our salvation, but that doesn't mean that we don't have responsibilities to each other. If Christ had taken that view He never would have left heaven in the first place.

When in a situation that is quite inconceivable to many of us today, Paul reacted in an extraordinary way. Even in his persecution and trials God's purposes were advanced. (Phil 1:18) If we are able to live with the absolute promises of eternal life that God has made to us always in our hearts then perhaps we too will find the courage to persevere in adversity.