No Fear of Dying

Excerpts from: "Embracing Eternity Living Each Day With A Heart Toward Heaven written by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins and Frank Martin. My daughter, Molli, gave me this book for Christmas in 2006. Frank Martin is Molli's sister-in-law's, brother-in-law.

Devotion for April 10, 2009

Scriptures: Ps. 116:15; 1 Cor 15:21-23.

NO FEAR OF DYING

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Ps. 116:15, NIV

HOW WOULD IT change your view of death if you saw if as God's gain? What if you understood your mortality as a treasure in the eyes of the Lord? you death as something he is looking forward to?

There is no greater fear in the hearts of men than the fear of the unknown. And there is nothing we know less about than death. We fear deather because we don't understand it. Yet God says that the thing we dread the most is something he treasures deeply.

If you heard today that you only had three weeks to live, how would you feel? Would it make your heart sing? Would you rejoice? Would you call up your friends and family to share your good news with them? Probably not. Even those of us who eagerly long for heaven tend to cringe at the thought of dying. We know we have a glorious home waiting for us, yet we still hang on to earth. The comfort of the known outweighs our anticipation of the unknown. So we fight against death and hold on to life with all out might.

But let's look at it from God's perspective. How does he react when he hears that we're on our way home? Make up the bed, get the room ready, set up the banquet table---my child is coming home!!! (Oh my, that sounds so AWESOME)(my words). "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints," says the psalmist (Ps 116:15, NIV). And why does God rejoice at an event that holds such fear for his people? Because he knows that death is just the beginning.

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" asks the apostle Paul (1 Cor 15:55). For those who put their faith in Christ, death no longer exists. There is no end to life, only a passing from one life to the next. We have nothing to fear and no reason to dread. So the next time you find yourself worried about dying, ask yourself this question: What matters most--the way I see things or the way God sees things? And remember the words of Paul: "In Christ all will be made alive" )15:22, NIV).

Reflection: Do you struggle with a fear of dying? What would God say to you in light of today's reading? How should salvation change our view of death?

April 10, 2009 (Good Friday)

We have an important weekend coming up. I thought if some of you might not know why Christians celebrate Easter then I would provide some information.

Today is Good Friday. Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or raising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.

In Western Christianity, Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the Paschal Full Moon. I had previously, and somewhat erroneously stated, "Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox." This statement was true prior to 325 AD; however, over the course of history (beginning in 325 AD with the Council of Nicea), the Western Church decided to established a more standardized system for determining the date of Easter.

There are, in fact, as many misunderstandings about the calculation of Easter dates, as there are reasons for confusion. To clear up at least some of the confusion visit: • Why Do the Dates for Easter Change Every Year?

Have a wonderful weekend and my our Lord Jesus Christ gives you many blessings each day.