For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain… I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
Paul holds together two beautiful truths: life is Christ, and death is gain. While life on earth means fruitful service, death is not loss—it is being with Christ. The best is truly yet to come.
Notice the intimacy: to be with Christ. Heaven is not simply freedom from pain or reunion with loved ones in Christ, though it includes both. Its centre is Christ Himself. Death ushers us into His immediate presence, unhindered and face to face.
This perspective turns fear into longing. Death is not an ending but a homecoming, not defeat but victory, not darkness but dawn. We can face it with confidence, knowing that to die is gain.
Jesus, thank you that death is gain because it means being with you. Help me to long for your presence above all else.
