This past week, I read a verse that has stuck with me. 2 Corinthians 15:19 states…
“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
In the context of chapter 15, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth on rising from the dead. For those who are in Christ, once we pass from this world, we will be living life everlasting with God. Paul is reminding the church that there is a wonderful life after death, if you are in Christ. Then he throws in verse 19, that if there is not life after death, and all we had was this life, we, as Christians, should be the most pitied people on the earth. Why? Paul was known for living every moment in this life to please and honor God. He did not live a manner of life to store up for himself treasures on earth. His focus was on eternity. Being so focused on eternity made this life rough for him, from a human standpoint. He was beaten many times, left for dead, ship wrecked, and he was ultimately martyred for his faith. It was all worth it for him. He was working toward eternity. If there was no eternity, his life would have been a waste. Yet, he knew that as Christ has risen from the dead, He would raise His bride from the dead.
What was so convicting about this verse was that it made me take a few moments and look at my own life. Am I living a life that when people who do not truly know Christ think, “this guy… if what he believes is not true, his life has been a waste.” Our lives are testimonies. The way you live says a lot about what is important to you. Paul once wrote, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). Are we living to obtain wealth on earth, storing up what we cannot take with us when we leave thisworld, this life? I hope that I can get the constant mindset that the only thing that matters in this world is Jesus, and I want others to know the surpassing worth of knowing Him. I want my life to be a testimony. I want to live relentlessly for Christ, and not the flesh’s desires. I pray we can all get the mindset Paul had.