Our Life & Our Death
“He made known to us the mystery of His will,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1: 9-14 NASB)
according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times,
that is,
the summing up of all things in Christ,
things in the heavens and things on the earth.
In Him
also we have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to His purpose
who works all things after the counsel of His will,
to the end
that we who were the first to hope in Christ
would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him,
you also,
after listening to the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation—having also believed,
you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,
with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession,
to the praise of His glory.”
Why are we here? Why are we alive?
These are fair questions we must all ask ourselves.
Lord, why did You create me? & To what purpose would You have me attend to while I live here on earth?
Both answers to the questions remain quite simple. Yes, simple indeed.
The Lord made us so that we might know “the mystery of His will” which “He made known to us.”
- We were created by God’s Holy hands. &
- We are predestined by God Himself “according to His purpose.”
He is the One “who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
- We who believe in Jesus as our Savior, are to live “to the praise of His glory.”
However, in order to know why we are here, we must understand how—everything hinges upon a single catalyst—
“after listening to the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, . . .”
- We must first choose to believe in Jesus’ work upon the cross and in the grave.
- We must ask Jesus to forgive us from all our sins.
- We must confess Jesus as our Lord, Savior, & Redeemer.
- For, if we do not choose to believe in Jesus, then we are without HOPE.
It is the Truth because the Bible says it is so!
Therefore, as we do believe in the work Jesus accomplished upon Calvary’s cross, Jesus Christ becomes our eternal Savior.
Then, as we live out our lives, as we walk in the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus becomes our Lord. We give Him full control over all that we are & all that we will be.
BUT GOD KNOWS how we are humanly weak, so He made a way for us endure the trials of this earthly life & the temptations from the devil.
The Bible is clear.
At the very moment of our salvation, with full assurance, understand how you & I know (beyond a shadow of doubt)—
“you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, . . .”
PRAISE GOD!
- We were purchased with the price of Jesus’ precious blood upon the cross. &
- We have been given an eternal future, a secure HOPE in JESUS.
- We will eternally reside in the presence of our Father & His only Son Jesus Christ the Messiah when our earthly life is complete.
We belong to God!
The Bible declares it so!
“with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Thus, as we know the answers to the questions we are born to ask, the truth about Our Life, then it is also just as important for us to understand the truth about Our Death.
For this answer, we turn to the Old Testament. First, we look to the wisdom of King Solomon & then to the words of God’s prophet Isaiah.
“For the living know they will die;
(Ecclesiastes 9: 5 NASB)
but the dead do not know anything,
nor have they any longer a reward,
for their memory is forgotten.”
&
“For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street.
(Ecclesiastes 12: 5b-7 NASB)
Remember Him
before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed,
the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;
then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
There is comfort from our Savior for those who try to make sense—
- For those who just try to comprehend death that comes too soon. &
- For those who just try to understand why some individuals must walk through what seems to be senseless suffering.
It is a fact; everyone dies but not everyone grows old. I remember Clay & Jacob & Madison. Each of these young students died—way before we who remain were ready. Despite how I moved the student desks inside my classroom, never did we forget their memory or the lasting pain that we felt deep within our hearts.
I also recall how hard it was for students to go on when over the Thanksgiving holiday, their teacher passed away, a man named Scott. They decorated his classroom door, even as the substitute teacher came in to lead their class. Scott’s students continued their studies in junior English, but they never forgot the man who was taken from them while in his prime of life.
As difficult as it is to comprehend, and as we ask: Why LORD does this have to be?
Our LORD is so faithful to give us everything we need.
PRAISE GOD!
Our LORD reassures and comforts us, those who die IN THE LORD, those who are the LIVING, and HE does so with His Word.
God’s prophet Isaiah wrote—
“Your dead will live;
(The Book of Isaiah 26: 19 NASB)
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.”
PRAISE GOD!
Our soul NEVER dies but only our earthly bodies. So, whether I elect for my remains to be buried or cremated, truly it does not matter. My soul will live on, but here, on earth, the LORD gives me the choice to make. Yes, I MUST MAKE A DECISION to the most important question EVER asked—
WHAT WILL I DO WITH JESUS?
Will I believe now, as I live here on earth, so that when I die, my soul will go to heaven?
OR
Will I choose to not believe here on earth, choosing instead for my soul to go to hell when I die?
- The choice is mine to make.
- The choice is yours to make.
The Bible, the Holy Word of God speaks this TRUTH!
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren,
(The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 4: 13-18 NASB)
about those who are asleep,”
[those who have died]
“so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
[those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior]
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord,
will not precede those who fallen asleep.”
[those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior]
“For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
PRAISE GOD for HIS AMAZING HOPE!
In Our Life
&
In Our Death
We Must Be Ready to Meet the Lord who will judge all people based upon the most important questions ever asked—
WHAT DECISION HAVE YOU MADE?
WHAT CHOICE HAVE YOU MADE ABOUT JESUS?