To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain; Philippians 1:18-30

We're fascinated with famous last words. Everything from the inspiring, like Todd Beamer's recital of the Lord's Prayer followed by "Let's roll," to the ironic, like Union General Jon Sedgwick, whose last words were, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist—." Will our last words reflect the faith that sees us to death? The Bible doesn't record Paul's last words, but we would imagine them to be something like his words in Philippians 1:21, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain." Those are worthy words, and we all hope that our last words reflect something of that kind of faith. But that's not a matter of memorizing and rehearsing the words, and it's not a matter of waiting until the end to say something brilliant. Instead, it's about the faith we live out today that sees us to that moment. How do we live today with a faith that will see us through this life and to the other side?