Alive in Christ

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

There’s a true story about an elderly Christian lady whose age began to impact her memory. She had memorized much of the Bible, but in time, only one verse stayed with her: “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12). Eventually even more slipped away, leaving only “that which I have committed to Him.” Finally it slipped to just “Him.” As she neared the other shore, she kept repeating, “Him. Him. Him. Him.” She had lost from her memory almost the entire Bible except for that one very important word. However, in that one word, she had the whole message of the Bible, the Good News. It’s not about us, it’s all about Him.

“LORD, help us to keep that fact in front of our minds this day. It is all about You and You alone.”

Ralph Wardlaw D.D. a venerable and (in his generation) influential Scottish divine contributed twelve hymns to the praise of the Church Universal that are likely to live in a humble and useful way. As having so done, and besides edited several collections of hymns, he claims a place of honour. Critically, and regarded as literature, his hymns have little of poetry in them; no "winged words" to lift the soul heavenward. They reflect simply and plainly the lights and shadows of everyday experiences of the spiritual life, rather than its high theology. But isn’t this the essence of this text that it is all about seeing, no knowing that the our lives are shot through with the life of Christ.

Wardlaw expressed this in his hymn

1 Christ, of all my hopes the ground,

Christ, the spring of all my joy,

still in you may I be found,

still for you my pow'rs employ,

still for you my pow'rs employ.

2 Let your love my heart inflame;

keep your fear before my sight;

be your praise my highest aim;

be your smile my chief delight,

be your smile my chief delight.

3 Fountain of o'erflowing grace,

freely from your fullness give;

'til I close my earthly race,

may I prove it "Christ to live,"

may I prove it "Christ to live."

4 Firmly trusting in your blood,

nothing shall my heart confound;

safely I shall pass the flood,

safely reach Immanuel's ground,

safely reach Immanuel's ground.

5 Thus, O thus, an entrance give

to the land of cloudless sky;

having known it "Christ to live,"

let me know it "gain to die,"

let me know it "gain to die."