Recently Charles and I purchased two burial plots in a beautiful little country cemetery. The place that would house our decaying fleshly bodies until our return with Christ to meet Him in the air and finally receive our longed-for and new glorified ones. It was a joy, to see the spot where my family would say their last goodbye’s and ponder upon past memories that we had shared together. Death no longer has a sting for me, but only a longing for that better place that my heart longs to be. I have not always felt this way though. There were times that I dared not even think of death, for the fear that it held in my heart. Fear of the unknown, the unexpected and the unsure. Many people today are like I once was. They fear death and as the result, they do not like to talk about it. They want to ignore it. Rather than face death, they try to mask it. Even funeral directors try to mask death in flowery scenes and by making the deceased look as alive and serene as they possibly are able to.
People are afraid of death because they do not know what lies ahead for them on the other side. It was this fear that prevented Hamlet from committing suicide after he pondered, “To be, or not to be? That is the question.” When pondering what may lie on the other side of death, some like to think that when they die they will be annihilated and become extinct, hoping to be no better or no worse than a dead animal on the roadside. Others like to think, that when they die they will be reincarnated, in which case, they will face the prospect of returning to this world as a fly only to be swatted or an ant to be smashed, which holds out little more comfort than being annihilated.
However, within the heart of mankind is the natural fear that when they die they must face God’s judgment whatever it may be and that is a frightening thought! Some try to deny the existence of hell to escape the fear of their being condemned to it. Many, on the other hand, hope they will go to heaven, but they know their hope is only wishful thinking. These uncertainties plague them as they see their lives slipping away, thus their perspective of death is one of uncertainty, fear and gloom after they die. They desperately know there is nothing they can do to prevent it except to cheat death by living as long as they can.
But for those who put their trust and faith in Christ, we have a different perspective; a perspective that gives hope and a strong confidence. Most people speak of life and death in this order; life and then death. But for the true believer who understand their relationship with God through Christ, we should speak about it as God’s Word does in Colossians 3. It states: “For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God”. This verse puts them in the opposite order. It speaks of death and life rather than life and death. This gives us a different perspective of death that holds out hope. First there is death: then there is life. For you see apart from death, there can be no life. God is telling us that, “You died, remember!” It is telling us that our death has already occurred, over and done with. It’s in our past once we become born again. As far as God is concerned our death and burial have already taken place in connection with Christ’s death and burial. Through our baptism into Christ we reveal to the world that we have died and were buried with him. Our old sinful self with its evil deeds and desires, died and was buried with Christ through His death and resurrection. For the child of God, to live is Christ to die is our gain! Philippians 1:21 Where do you stand today sweet friend? What plans are you making for your life?
Hold
Fast,
-Bren
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