Dying
sucks, but it doesn’t have too
A death
sometimes isn’t a death. Death sometimes feels like it’s all around us. We have
lost people close to us, some expected and some unexpected. From my 35 years of
life on earth, there is a major difference going to funerals. The difference is
when I go to a Christian funeral compared to a (lack of a better term) normal
funeral.
Now if
you have lost someone close to you, I am so sorry, but please let me explain
the difference between the two.
Paul
shares these two verses in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: “Brothers and sisters, we
do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do
not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus
those who have fallen asleep in him.” There is a difference in death.
This
was shared in the Bible Knowledge
Commentary, “Paul wanted the
Thessalonians to be neither ignorant nor grieving like the rest of men, that is, like unbelievers, over the death of
fellow believers. Christians do grieve over the loss of loved ones; this is a
normal human experience which even Jesus shared (John 11:35). But the grief of
Christians differs from that of unbelievers, for the latter have no hope of bodily resurrection to
glory with Christ (1 Thes. 4:16). Two reasons why Christians should not grieve
like unbelievers are that Christians have a revelation from God that gives them
hope and they have a glorious future with Christ. Just as certainly as Jesus died and was resurrected by the
Father, so God will unite the
resurrected dead in Christ with their Savior at His coming.[1]
Hope.
It’s a completely different feeling when you are certain the person passing
away is a Christian, the room has a calming presents that it’s hard to explain.
The grief is more a feeling of joy then anything else. If you have someone that
has passed away and you feel like they were far away from Jesus. I am sorry for
that, but know that you have the opportunity to come close to Jesus today.
Eternal life is avavliable through everyone who gives their life over to Jesus.
You can have hope that you never had before with faith in Jesus. Don’t be afraid
to ask someone what it takes to have faith in Jesus or what faith in Jesus is
all about. If you do have faith in Jesus, be free to share this message with
others today.
Have
a great day.
[1]
Thomas L. Constable, “1 Thessalonians,” in The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F.
Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 703–704.
