Yesterday, a powerful earthquake struck triggering Tsunami warnings. I was wondering how those asked to evacuate immediately could have felt, knowing that there is a high chance of disaster coming upon them.
As followers of Jesus, we are assured that in case efforts to reach safety will fail, and death swallows us up, we still have something great to look forward to. Grim as death may seem, we have the hope that we are in for even better days as we can start spending eternity in heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40
In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul the Apostle modeled how we present-day Jesus followers should view death. In his writing, he made it appear that it is not something we should fear because we are to be with Christ. However, much is still to be done on earth in terms of sharing God’s message to others, hence if we are granted longer lives, we are to live it for Christ.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” Philippians 1:21-24
And while the Eternal Life God gave us starts here on earth as soon as we decided to live our lives honoring the Lord, it is nice to know that we have a glorious future waiting for us. That we, alongside our family members who believe in Jesus, will reunite once again in a life devoid of pain and tears.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18
Yes, morbid as it may seem, death is not the end of our faith journey. Our final destination in heaven with our loving God is the finish line and the prize we toil for everyday as we try our best to live lives that honor Jesus’ commands and teachings. Truly, when we have Jesus in our hearts, we can happily tell our loved ones when the time comes, “that we will see them on the other side.”
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Philippians 1:18-26 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you prepared to come to the Lord’s presence anytime?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of eternal life. for assuring us that we have something to look forward to. Thank you for the hope, and thank you for the peace. Amen.