50 Days of Wisdom

In Corinthians chapter 5, verses 1 through 8, the apostle Paul explains his attitude as he faces death every day. There were Jewish and Gentile people who wanted him dead. They were hostile against his faith and his message, and he knew that death could take him any day. And he wants the Corinthians to know how he deals with facing death confidently. The key is in verse 6: "being always of good courage," and then in verse 8, "we are of good courage." That verb means to be cheerful, confident, and content and to have joy and happiness. And that is how he faced death: confidently, contentedly, joyfully, cheerfully, patiently, and peaceably. In fact, he preferred death to life. That is an amazing way to live. Here was a man who actually preferred to die. And he tells us why in Philippians, chapter 1, verse 21: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Far better," he said, "to depart and be with Christ." He was a man who faced death triumphantly. And by the way, faith always has its greatest work to do at the very end of life because the reality of faith is most clearly manifest in the face of death. Paul had the kind of faith that was strong in life and strong in death. He finished well. He died with patience, hope, joy, and eagerness. And he left behind a tremendous testimony to the integrity of his faith, his confidence in the truth of God's Word, and the excellencies of God's ways. You see, God is honored when believers die triumphantly. He is honored when they are confident in the face of death, even cheerful. And certainly, our last and best witness to the love and devotion we have to our Lord is how we die. In fact, if we don't groan for heaven like a prisoner longs for freedom, like a sick man longs for health, or like a hungry man longs for food, then something is wrong. If we don't face death with joy and with anticipation—not the pain and suffering that's physically associated with it, but death itself—if we don't face it with joy and anticipation, then we've come to idolize the passing world. We have come to settle for fading joys. We have learned to be content with sinful surroundings, to accept and cherish our fallenness, and to overestimate earthly relationships. And, honestly, we haven't set our affections on things above, but on things on the earth. To wish to avoid death is disloyalty to God. It's depreciation of the glories of heaven. It's insensitivity to the comparative worthlessness of earth's vanities. Wishing to avoid death indicates a cold love for Christ and demonstrates a lack of weariness with sin. Paul faced death with good courage, confidence, and eagerness, and he tells us why in these eight verses. He tells us his attitude regarding death, and the rest of the passage tells us why he had that attitude. And as I said, he faced death every day, and any day could be his last. But it never caused him to compromise his message, because death was no threat. Death was a welcome friend. Death would take him where he would rather be and make him what he'd rather become. Therefore, the reality of death, the threat of death, never affected his boldness, and it never affected his courage. Paul shows us how to face death confidently, triumphantly, and joyfully. And much unlike our society today, he had no obsession to escape death; rather, he sought it. And at the end of his life, he said, "I have finished the course, fought the good fight, kept the faith, and now I'm ready to go." He looked death in the eye daily and never blinked. Paul tells us in this wonderful section of Scripture that the key to living is looking forward to dying, because that attitude completely transforms how we live for Christ. Repent and believe! GTY.org (47-32) – Facing Death Confidently, Part 2

Today's Wisdom

Day: 949

June 19, 2026

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Grace and peace,

My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, "I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen