Everybody Is Doing It

I’ve got some bad news. I’m dying. I found out some time ago, probably when I was 10 or 11 years old. My dogs died. I had a cat that died. My grandfather Brady died, and my parents told me that before I was born my two grandmothers and my other grandfather had died. My little cousin got hit by a car and she died, and a friend of my parents was killed in a coal mining accident. It seemed that a lot of people and pets in my life died and they continue to die. Then I was told that my parent would die some day, and I would also die. I haven't died yet, but I know I will, and so will you. Everybody is doing it. We are all going to die!

Do you ever worry about dying? I don’t as much as I did. I think everyone worries about facing death at some time in their life. I’ve heard that Christians should never worry about passing away. We are told that at death, in a snap, we will be in heaven with Jesus. That is comforting, but death  is a once in a lifetime thing. That’s what the Bible tells us. We have never experienced this before. I know I will go to heaven, and that I will live again. I really do believe that. I’m sure many reading this also believe you will spend eternity in heaven. But it takes a lot of faith to be completely sure of that.

Think about it. We are believing in a God we have never seen, trusting in a Savior we have only read about, and are hoping to go to a place in which nobody we know has ever been. Many of us have been told these things all of our lives. “It’s in the Bible”, they told us. Could we have been brainwashed? I can understand why many people have a hard time accepting all of this. I’m sure God knew we would have doubts. Even some of the strongest Christians have doubts, especially when life strikes a hard blow.

But the good news is we have a personal God who is very close. He speaks to us assuring us that he will do what he promised he would do. His Spirit is truly in us, to encourage us, to give us power, and show us the ways of God. He answers our requests. He provides for us when in need. My faith is in God because I have done things I would never have been able to do without him. I’m not worried about dying because I know where I’m going.

Sherri and I have gotten to travel a lot since we retired. We have been to places we had never been. We imagined what those places would be like. Some of them were far greater and more lovely than we expected. Heaven will be like that. Nothing that we have ever heard will prepare us for heaven. It will be a magnificent, breathtaking place, but more than that to be in the very presence of God without any sinful, earthly distractions will be far greater than anything we can imagine. God’s Spirit is repairing us even now for the day we will die. If we keep our minds fixed on Jesus and focus on Heavenly things we will be ready. What a glorious day it will be!