Being Carried Along By the Current of Life and Time

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Philippians 1:21-24)

Paul wrote his Epistle to the church at Philippi while he was being held prisoner in Rome because of his Christian faith which was detested by the Roman government which wanted its citizens to worship and be subject to the state and the emperor and not look to a supernatural or superior power above the state.

In fact, at the time around the birth of Jesus Christ, Caesar Augustus was the most powerful ruler in the world. He was considered to be a god by the Romans, and certainly not subject to any higher authority. He had the power to tax the world and cause all families to move from where they were to their birthplace. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1)

While I am sure, that he was puffed-up with his own power and authority, thinking it was his own idea, he was actually working within God’s plan to move Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem in fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the birthplace of Jesus given more than five hundred years prior to the event! “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

So, Bible-believing Christians can take heart that nothing catches God by surprise and somehow everything works into His plan for this world and no government or ruler, however powerful they may seem to be, can thwart that plan.

In our opening passage of Scripture, Paul stated some things that we should be mindful of, especially at the start of a New Year. He stated,” For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better”

He was making a reference to passing from life here on earth to death. We are all (believer and non-believer) in the same “strait” as Paul. Paul was saying that he was “hemmed-in on both sides” A “strait is also, a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.

When I was in the U. S. Coast Guard stationed on a ship out of Seattle, we would often sail through the Strait of Juan de Fuca which connected Puget Sound with the Pacific Ocean. So then, as being in a strait betwixt two”, we all are being carried along by the current of time, in a narrow passage between life and death. Each one of us is closer to death and eternity this year than we were at this time last year.

Paul had no fear of dying, in fact he knew that being with Jesus Christ was far better than what this world had to offer him. He could say that because he believed what Jesus had to say in John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Those who have trusted Jesus Christ can face life (and death} with this same confidence. They do not have to keep looking back with wishful thinking for the “good old days” to return. But they realize that all things are under the control of and working out according to the plan of God.

By the way, the term “verily, verily” as used by Jesus means, “truthfully”, “so be it”, also translated as

Amen, and has nothing to do with gender identity.

This article originally ran on argusobserver.com.