"It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again" (NRSV).
"To remain in the flesh is more necessary for . . . your progress and joy in the faith."
Paul had learned that, if someone is truly a committed Christian, is truly serving the Lord, being alive here on this planet is always hard work and often suffering. In another passage, Paul lists the litany of sufferings that he had experienced as a result of being a missionary:
"In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:23b-38 NKJV).
And yet, he concludes in Philippians that to "remain in the flesh"—to experience those sufferings here on earth—were more important for the believers he loved so he would continue here for their sakes rather than go to heaven (at this point) to be with the Lord Jesus. What would make Paul feel this way? Why would he make this decision, to continue to face suffering for someone else? "[It] is more necessary for you . . . for your progress and joy in the faith." Why would the Lord Jesus allow Himself to be tortured and murdered through the crucifixion? Because it was more necessary for you—for me—for our progress and joy in the faith.
We were worth it to Him! The churches were worth it to Paul. There was placed in Paul’s heart and soul the love of the Holy Spirit. Paul was allowing the Holy Spirit to live out the fruit of the Spirit in his life, the fruit of which the characteristics are "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV). And because Paul had the Spirit’s love working out through his life, he was able to say "I will remain in the flesh for your sakes. You are worth it!"
You are worth it.
Paul could say that, live that, breath that, because to him, living was Christ and Christ loves us, each and everyone of us with a love we cannot begin to understand. When we become Christians, we begin to experience the outpouring of that love through us to those around us. If we want to be sensitive to the Spirit, we will begin to want to sacrifice so that those around us can understand that they are worth it, not because of who they are, but because of Who Christ is and what He did for us. We can become like Paul who was willing to continue living his litany of sufferings for the churches. Paul wasn’t a masochist. He didn’t like to suffer, but he embraced that suffering as necessary so that the people in the fledgling churches to whom he was writing would continue to grow spiritually. "To remain in the flesh is more necessary for . . . your progress and joy in the faith."
You are worth it.
This concept of embracing suffering for the sake of someone else is often rejected. "We need to protect ourselves and our personal time and space." "We need to practice ‘tough love’ and not allow people to abuse us." "We need to love ourselves and take care of ourselves first." Paul wouldn’t have understood any of these as being Christian values or lifestyles. He only understood pouring out his life—facing, even embracing suffering—for their sakes. If we are going to become the kind of Christians who, like Paul, change the world with the power of the gospel, then we are going to have to become the kind of Christians who can embrace suffering, saying to those around us, "You are worth it!"
© 2014 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved.
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