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“因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处。 但我在肉身活着，若成就我工夫的果子，我就不知道该挑选什么。 我正在两难之间，情愿离世与基督同在，因为这是好得无比的。 然而，我在肉身活着，为你们更是要紧的。 我既然这样深信，就知道仍要住在世间，且与你们众人同住，使你们在所信的道上又长进又喜乐， 叫你们在基督耶稣里的欢乐，因我再到你们那里去，就越发加增。” 腓立比书 1:21-26
“因我活着就是基督，死了就有益处”。保罗的使命宣言振聋发聩。在22节他继续阐述：“活着就是基督”，意味着当保罗在肉身活着，他是靠着基督来成就他劳作的果子；而“死了就有益处”，因为死亡能使他从劳作中终得安息，在天国与主同在。的确，在属地的生命中，基督徒可以经历到耶稣的属灵同在；然而，这只是死后与主面对面之同在的“开胃菜”罢了。与主实际的同在，真是无比好的益处！
这里，我们看到了保罗的两难局面：在基督里为基督活着，还是死了与基督同在。活着的时候，保罗靠着基督的能力并为了基督的荣耀而劳苦：他教导、讲道、帮助、与人同受苦难；若是死了，他就能脱离肉身的痛苦，享受主完全的同在。保罗一定希望可以摆脱生命中的那些难处，直接来到主的面前，因此在第23节，保罗说他“情愿离世与基督同在”，但是他明白耶稣的心（从1:9-11的祷告中可以看出来），他选择靠着主的能力来服侍众人，使信徒“在所信的道上又长进又喜乐”（第25节），以此荣耀基督。
这是保罗给自己的挑战，或许也可以成为我们的挑战：明白什么是对众人有益处的，并在有生之年选择为之劳苦，因为知道这是基督为众人的心意。毕竟，当我们离世，我们在永恒中要与主在一起。
Philippians 1: 21-26.
For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. What a strong life Mission, a life statement. He elaborates, in verse 22. 'To live is Christ' suggests Paul’s desire to depend on Christ while he engages in fruitful labor, while to die is to finally rest from his labors and be with Christ physically. While the Christian can experience Jesus’s spiritual presence in life, yet it is only a foretaste of the true physical relationship we can have with him in death. That shows us Paul's dilemma now: ‘In Christ and For Christ' in life or 'with Christ' in death. In life, Paul is challenging himself to do things in the power of Christ and for Christ’s glory: he teaches, preaches, helps, shares with others in the midst of suffering; while in death, to depart from suffering and enjoy his physical presence. Paul must have wished to run away from life’s problems and just enjoy the presence of Jesus, hence in verse 23, Paul would rather depart (die) and be with Jesus, but knowing the heart of Jesus (as suggested by his prayer in verse 9-11), he chooses to serve the people in Christ’s power and for Christ's glory ('so that your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me' verse 25). This is Paul's challenge in his life, and perhaps our challenge as well: knowing what is good for others and choosing it in the few years we have left because we know Christ’s heart for the people. After all we will have eternity with Jesus when we die.
