Hope

Then I hear a voice from heaven say, “Write this:  Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”  “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”  Revelation 14:13

The earthly passing away of a loved one literally knocks the very breath out of our souls.  Grief settles in and stays for a while.  The grieving process must take place and there is no timetable for this process.  But if our loved one is a child of Almighty God, and if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we can have hope in the midst of our grief.  This hope the world is unable to give, but our Heavenly Father desires to bless us with this hope.  Our Father wants to comfort us and wants us to know – a better day is coming.  When our Savior and LORD ushers us into our eternal home, we will again be reunited with our loved ones. 

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 that he was not afraid to die because he believed that when his earthly body passed away, he would be stepping into the presence of Jesus Christ.  He was confident that he would be spending eternity with his Savior and LORD.  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  For we live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  If Jesus is your Savior and LORD, you too can share in Paul’s hope and confidence of eternal life with Jesus Christ.  We will continue to live eternally in our Heavenly Home with our LORD.

God’s Word reveals to us in 1 Corinthians 15:49 – And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.  We all have a body that looks different.  Each of us has different strengths and weaknesses.  But as physical, earthly bodies, they are all alike.  Our physical bodies are perishable, sown in dishonor, and weakness.  Our physical bodies are natural and from the dust.  But God clearly reveals to us in His Word that all believers are promised life after death and a body like Jesus Christ, a resurrection body.  Our resurrection body will be imperishable, raised in glory, raised in power, spiritual, and from Heaven.  Our bodies will be transformed.  Philippians 3:20-21 – But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  God’s promises in His Word will give us hope and confidence in the mist of our grief.

Death has been defeated and children of Almighty God have hope beyond the grave.  Christ overcame death and we will too.  1 Corinthians 15:54-57 – When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:  “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  When our confidence and hope is placed in the promises of Almighty God, death will no longer be a source of dread or fear. 

Children of God have a wonderful inheritance awaiting them.  We are truly incapable of comprehending the grandeur of our Heavenly inheritance.  Knowing we have this Heavenly inheritance provides us with an eternal hope.  1 Peter 1:3-5 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

We are precious to our LORD.  God chooses the time when He ushers His children into His Heavenly presence.  Allow His Holy Word to provide truth, hope, and comfort when death is near.  Psalm 116:15 – Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. 

Dear Heavenly Father, provide us with the hope and confidence that only You can give.  Thank You for our inheritance awaiting us in Heaven.  In Jesus Name I pray…..Amen.