Upon
our death, our human body goes to the grave, and our spirit and soul either go
to heaven or hell. Our eternal destination is determined by our beliefs, which
either condemn us with Satan or liberate us with Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18)
Unbelievers
condemn themselves to the second death - eternity in hell (John 3:18; Revelation
2:11). They die physically, and then their spirit and soul go to the lake of
fire where they suffer never-ending torment for eternity (Revelation 21:8).
Death
is not the end for authentic Believers either; yet, for us, it is a new beginning.
We leave the limits of this earthly realm and enter into the glorious riches of
the Kingdom of God.
We
are not disembodied spirits wandering the earth until we finish the business we
failed to accomplish in our lifetime. Neither do we need to contact some human
being to help us to leave a message for our loved ones, or to straighten out
some misunderstanding we left behind.
Paul
was confident that the very moment a Believer's spirit and soul leave our body,
we are immediately present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). We graduate from
the school of life. Through Christ we passed all the tests, and we earned our
diploma.
Even
in our lifetime on earth, God fills the Believer's spirit, body, and soul – our
thoughts, choices and emotions - with His joy, as we experience exquisite
pleasures in His eternal presence here and now (Psalm 16:9-11).
God
rejoices in the death of His Saints (Psalm 116:15), because we are no longer
separated from Him, but we dwell with Him for eternity. The angels carry us
into the presence of God in heaven (Luke 16:22), where we will never die.
Prayer:
Father
God, we thank You for drawing us to Your heart during times of strain and
sorrow, which accompany the death of our loved ones. I ask that You help us to
always find our refuge under the shadow of Your wings, our strength in Your
joy, and our comfort and clarity of thinking in Your wisdom, as You lead us
beside the still waters and restore our soul (Psalm 23).
I
thank You that Your peace, which exceeds all human understanding, will flow
over us like a waterfall. As Believers, we experience You as our refuge in
death (Proverbs 14:32). You make us like angels in this respect, because we are
Your children. You already raised us with Jesus from the dead into a new life
with Your Son (Luke 20:36). Thank You that You fill our heart with Your love so
fully that we will feel no other emotion.
Thought
for the Day:
God
looks forward to the death of His Saints, because our last breath on earth is
immediately followed by our first breath in Heaven; our mortal body stays in
the grave; and at Jesus' coming, God provides us with our immortal body for
eternity.
-
Psalm 115:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:53
