The other day in my Doctrine class, a kid asked our teacher if he was afraid to die. Without hesitation he said, "No. Well actualy I take that back. Am I afraid to die? Maybe a little. Am I afraid of death? Absolutely not."
Death is a strange topic. Everybody has to go through it. There is no way around it. It's a strange thing to think about. It's hard to comprehend. And frankly, I don't really want to think about, let alone comprehend it. Most people don't. Which is why, the topic gets avoided all too often.
Death.
Words that come to my mind when I think of death:
Eery.
Creepy.
Scary.
Halloween.
Pain.
Sorrow.
Hell.
Why is that? Why do such dark, horrible thoughts come to my mind? Maybe it's because dying is not a very friendly thought. Not many people are excited to go through the process of dying.
Personally, I have probably the lowest pain tolerance of anyone you know. Literally. I could drop a paperclip on my toe and I would flinch. I don't take pain well. So, am I afraid to die? HECK YES I AM! I just hope that I die in my sleep of old age.
But when you think about it, dying and death are two very different things. Everyone is afraid of dying whether they want to admit it or not. But death? Death doesn't have to be a frightening thing.
Have you ever heard people use this "evangelism" technique?: Walk up to a non-believer and say, "Hey do you know where you're going when you die?" And when they say no fire back with, "Well I do, and if you don't believe in God then it's not gonna be a pretty place!" In my opinion that is not a great way to share the gospel.
HOWEVER, as Christians, sometimes we need to be asked that question. Do you know where you're going after you die? What's gonna happen to you after death? Where will you spend eternity?
Are you ready to die? Have you lived your life to the fullest? And I don't mean, "Have you gone skydiving at least 3 times and completed everything on your bucket list?" I mean, "Have you served, honored, and glorified God to the best of your ability in everything? Have you been on mission for the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Have you been a shining light for Jesus? Have you made an impact on this world through your love for God and His love for you?"
These are hard questions to answer. But think about it. If you died tomorrow would you hear God say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant." ? Or would He say, "Depart from me, I do not know you." ?
We need to be in a place in our walk with God, where we can say without a shadow of a doubt, in full confidence that we are not afraid of death because we will spend eternity in paradise with our Father in Heaven.
We need to live our Christian lives like we will die tomorrow.
We need to serve God in all we do.
Death is not an eery thing. It's not scary or creepy. As long as our lives have been committed to our Savior.
It's a hard thing to grasp. It's hard to think about it. It's not always easy or fun to think about. But today, I am resolving to have the mindset of my Doctrine teacher. Am I afraid to die? Maybe a little. Am I afraid of death? Absolutely not.
"Yes, and I will rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again."
Philippians 1:21-26
