“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

We can’t say, “To die is gain,” unless we live for Christ. It is unreasonable to ask the flesh to have this courage, but if we live for Jesus because He died for us, then death is gain, and we know it.

First, we know His love - that He gave Himself a great ransom to deliver us from the wrath of God - that He made us righteous and holy. He’s given us eternal life [Gal 1:4].

Secondly, we love Him back! We are compelled by this love, constrained to do good, and motivated by it! This is the power of the gospel: It is not just a grand story, but the Holy Spirit makes it the joy of life, and it is the believer’s reasonable service to honor it.

Paul says, “Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.” [Phil 2:1-2]

Therefore, when confronted with the option of denying this love, or serving Him wholeheartedly, we willingly choose service. If He calls us to death or great trials, then we choose obedience. We desire to honor His love because it means so much to us.

This is the place we stumble, if we cannot truly say, “To die is gain,” because we are not living for Christ, and the Spirit is not giving us the power. It CAN CHANGE, however. We can be content with death - not by stirring up the flesh, but by admitting our sins and asking for His love to be revealed [1 John 4:10]. Ask Him to make you a willing servant, and you will love Him back. Ask Him to make you enjoy the gospel.

Thirdly, when “dying is gain,” then we can encourage others! The coronavirus has exposed that we live in a world of fear. Men’s hearts fail them because they DO NOT WANT TO DIE! They thought they had figured out life, and everything was OK. They boasted in achievements and loved the world, only for it to be taken away suddenly, potentially. They don’t need our fears, however, or our mocking and unbelief. They need the gospel that makes us whole: they need to see stability and hear the blessed hope.

Brothers, take advantage of these times. God has raised this virus for our benefit - to get the gospel to the elect.

“You have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” [Esther 4:14]