Acts 20:24
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Not the End but the Beginning
Once we depart this life, people will say we’re dead, but in actuality we’ll be more alive than ever! Paul knew that as long as he was on the Earth, he wouldn’t’ be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6). He preferred to be absent from his body here on Earth so that he could be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), and I can’t blame him because so do I. In this life we have suffering, groans, and pains and long to be clothed in an eternal body (2 Cor. 5:2). How about you? Is that what you long for? The older I get, the more I want that. Even though I trust in the Lord as my Savior, I still have some concerns about death. I also know that a sunset and the death of a soul are not the real end but, in fact, only the beginning of something that we can’t even imagine in this life. We won’t even be able to compare this life with the life to come (Rom. 8:18).
Trust in God
I am often reminded of Paul’s desires that he was torn between two places: One was to be here on the Earth to do the Lord’s work, and the other was to be with the Lord Himself because He knew what was far better (Phil. 1:23). Imagine that you’re on a long trip and you look forward to your destination. The journey’s not too bad, but compared to the destination point, won’t the ending be amazing!? That is what life is like for the believer. We know that when we see the sun set, it will rise again, but we shouldn’t fear death too much because we ought to realize that we, too, will rise again and be with the Lord forevermore!
As in Adam, so Also in Christ
First Corinthians 15:22 reminds us that, just as in Adam, we are all destined to die; however, in Christ, all will be made alive. Christ is the archetype or first-fruit in this sense, but when He comes again, we, too, will have both body and spirit reunited for all eternity (1 Cor. 15:23). What went into the ground to decay will come up at Christ’s return as immortal (1 Cor. 15:42), and like a seed that’s sown naturally, it will burst forth from the ground supernaturally (1 Cor. 15:44), never to die again. I suggest you read more about this in 1 Corinthians 15 because it will encourage you to see that just as the sunset is not the end of the sun, our death is not the end of our life. Shouldn’t we equally trust that both will have a new beginning?
A Closing Prayer
Father God, You are so good, and all Your promises are sure (and amen). I know I can trust Your Word and not my own fears and doubts in this life. Help me to trust You more each and every day, and please forgive my lack of trusting in You, the true Author of life. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen
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