Ridgell's Originals

It happens frequently in our community of faith.  Yours too.  People die.  Old people do, but so do the young.  Lost babies.  Cancer.  Car wrecks.  Other accidents.  Other illnesses.  So many in what seems to us way too soon.  And it hurts.  

I do a lot of spiritual counseling/visiting with those losing -- or have just lost -- people they love.  Here are three things I share that I think we Christians absolutely have to believe and remind ourselves of.  Three things I have to keep reminding myself.

We are already dead.  Galatians 2:20 says we have been crucified with Christ so the life we live in one of faith in Jesus.  Romans 6:3-5 talks of us being united with Christ in his death.  We are dead.  Death has been defeated and it has no power over us.  Resurrection matters.  

We are strangers and aliens in this world while we long for a better home.  Read Hebrews 11.  This world is not our home.  Most of us preach/teach/read this and still live as if this world is the end all.  It is not.  Believers that die are going to the finish line they have been running to for much of their life.  

We must learn to be hope grievers.  I Thessalonians 4 has the great resurrection hope passage.  It tells us not to grieve as those who have no hope.  Of course we grieve.  Not for the one who has gone to be with the Lord.  We grieve for us.  We miss them here.  We have lots of things to work out and work thru.  

But we are hope grievers.  We absolutely believe we will be together again.  

We do believe Jesus is the way to God.  We were crucified with Christ in our baptism.  We live as dead people walking.  We keep our eyes on the prize.  

And some of us cross the finish line sooner than many thought we would.  But it is the finish line.  

So I work to remind myself of these realities.  I try and live these realities. 

I am already dead. 

This world is not my home.

And I am a hope griever.

So thankful.

Come Lord Jesus.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM