When Death Occurs

Death is certain to impact our lives sooner or later in this life. Everyone will know someone who will die, and everyone will face death in their own life someday. Some of you have been recently impacted by death and others it has been awhile since someone close to you has passed away. Death comes into our lives many ways. Sometimes it comes totally unexpected. Sometimes it comes expected after a long time of suffering or illness. However, and whenever death occurs it is never easy to deal with and it can be overwhelming to consider. I am by no means an expert on death nor do I have all the answers, but I would like to give a few reminders about death so when it occurs in our lives, we can draw from the truths that we have from God's Word about it.

1. Death is not the end. 
Most people view death as the end but in reality, death is the beginning. The life spent here on earth is only temporary and the life after earth is eternal. So, we must remember that as wonderful and as great as life is here on the earth it is barely even a fraction of the life to come in eternity. And for those who are Christians their life in eternity will be with God and other believers in Heaven for an eternity fulfilling God's will. No more sin, no more pain, no more death forever and ever. Amen!

2. Death is difficult. 
The reality of death is difficult to deal with even if you are a Christian. Many times, the grief is so overwhelming that our lives are literally torn apart. The life that we know and have come to enjoy is suddenly changed and things are not the same. Homes, cars, places to eat and family are forever altered because your loved one is no longer there. Nights of crying and days of despondency and bouts of depression and discouragement are all common results of death. Jesus himself when His friend Lazarus died "wept"! The thing to rest in as a Christian is that we grieve but not without hope! It may take weeks or months but down deep in our soul the hope of Jesus will begin to work its way through our grieving. Some days will be better than others but just take one day at a time and as you grieve do not suppress the hope that will begin to permeate your broken heart.

3. Death is challenging.
Death brings grief but death also brings a challenge. It is the challenge that we know our life will one day come to an end. And to be honest many of us has things that we know we should make right in our lives but have not done it yet and when death impacts our lives it forces us to take a serious look at the condition of our life. Some may have unforgiveness in their heart, some may have a besetting sin, some may not have spent time with their children like they should, and some may just not be right with God! Whatever "it" may be, death brings that to the front of our minds and hearts as we consider that one day, we will breathe our last breath on this earth. So the challenge is what if your last breath was today? Anything that is not right in your soul? We should not put it off but make it right and we should live every day right with God and right with others so there will be no shame when we breathe our last breath on this earth.

Death is not the end! Death is difficult! Death is challenging!

Happy New Year!

Every new year most people try to come up with some resolutions for the new year. Some people follow through with them and some do not even get started! But regardless of which one you are let me encourage you to consider three spiritual resolutions for 2019! The first one is to read the Bible more than you have in the past! Remember that quantity is not always quality! Some of you like me are going to read through the whole Bible in 2019 and that is a great goal especially if you have never done it before. Make sure you get a plan and make sure you keep on track so you do not fall to far behind and get discouraged and quit! Some others may be making a resolution to read one Scripture a day! If you are committing to do that I encourage you to get the daily Scripture from the Bible app and set it to be sent to you everyday at your desired time! Whatever and however you choose to read the Bible it will not be time wasted! It will further your knowledge of God and deepen your walk with God so I encourage you to choose your plan and commit to it! Remember the grass with wither and the flowers will fade but the Word of God will stand forever! The second resolution I would recommend is for you to pray everyday! Somewhere and sometime during your day you need to intentionally set aside time to pray to God! I like to pray the acrostic ACTS which stand for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. When you read your Bible God is speaking to you and when you pray you are speaking to God! Effective communication is the key to any relationship and when you are reading your Bible and praying consistently then your walk with Jesus will be fresh and full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Morning, noon or night the time does not matter but the consistency will! The third resolution is for you to fast! I know this is a tough one for many because it is misunderstood but this is one that will potentially be the most powerful resolution of them all in your walk with God. Fasting is abstaining from something for the purpose of drawing closer to God. Now it used to be that fasting was only connected with food because that was something that everyone desired frequently and food is a great thing to fast from. But one of the more rapidly growing fast is from social media! Social media is something that grabs a hold of our attention and most of the time it is a futile pursuit that leads to resentment or discontentment. So fasting from social media could be very powerful and productive in your christian walk. Fasting lets God know that you are serious and every time you desire to fulfill what you are fasting from you rather pursue God in prayer and seek Him that will no doubt strengthen your relationship with Christ! I hope you will consider these three simple suggestions and may your walk with Christ in 2019 be the strongest yet! In Christ, Pastor Ted