The “gain” in Philippians 1:21 is eternal gain. It refers to the heavenly home where we can enjoy God forever. This verse links living to dying. If we want our death to be “gain,” we must examine how we “live” on earth.

1.  Christ is the only One we are to live for (Phil 1:21)

Before salvation, our life was all about self. After salvation, it must be all about Christ. The Apostle Paul's love for his Saviour propelled him to submit all things to Christ. He was no longer the focus; others must see Christ in him.

We must please Christ in all areas of our life. Only then can our death be “gain.” We may not have lived like this in the past, but we can start living for Christ from today onwards. In His Word, He has taught us how we are to live our life so that our death will be “gain.” The Sermon on the Mount is Christ’s perfect sermon teaching us what “to live is Christ” means.

2.  Living for Christ is linked to labour (Phil 1:22)

To labour is to work hard, giving our best to God. Our time on earth is a narrow, tiny window of time compared to eternity. It is the only window of time we have to impact sinners with the gospel, and to strengthen the faith of believers. The fruit of Paul's labour were the churches he planted in his missionary journeys. When he was Saul the persecutor of Christians, he was rich and famous. But after salvation, Paul served Jesus Christ.

How are we serving Christ? Did we not make a covenant with Christ when we became believers? The terms of this covenant are determined by God Himself, not us. Christ has commanded us to take up our cross and follow Him. He gave us spiritual gifts for the spiritual maturation of other believers. Are we using our gifts to labour for Christ?

3.  Living for Christ is linked to other people (Phil 1:23-24)

Paul delighted in ministering to believers, but he also desired to be with Christ, for it is far better to be in heaven with Christ. When a believer is sick, why do we always pray for his recovery? If he is a wayward believer, we should pray for God's chastening so that he can be spiritually restored. If a sick believer has not been serving God, isn’t it better for him to go to heaven than to be wasting his time on earth? To live for Christ is to live for others’ spiritual well-being and growth. Then when our time on earth is done, our Lord would say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”