We are Rich if we have “knowledge of Him”
Early this morning, there was time to read the morning news, seeing what occurred yesterday in the federal, state, and local government. Along with these news articles, I spent some moments reading two humanistic articles: one about a young college student whose life was taken too early & one about an older man, a teacher, whose life was lost in death after a fight with brain cancer. Although both of these individuals died, that is not what connected them. Even though both of these individuals were connected to a university life, that is not what connected them. That both of them are missed by those who loved them, that is also not what connected them.
That they had “knowledge of Him” (of the Lord Jesus Christ) truly connects these two individuals—in this life, as well as in the afterlife.
“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1: 17 NASB)
the Father of glory,
may give to you a spirit of wisdom
and of revelation
in the knowledge of Him.”
Think about that word: AFTERLIFE.
- After we live, what then?
- After this life, what comes next?
- After we die, what happens then?
- After we die, what can we expect?
These are such great questions, ones that MUST be answered on THIS SIDE—DURING THE ‘LIVING’ PART OF LIFE.
In the Bible, to the man who was given the MOST WISDOM, Solomon wrote:
“For the living know they will die;
(The Book of Ecclesiastes 9: 5 NASB)
but the dead do not know anything,
nor have they any longer a reward,
for their memory is forgotten.”
In reading the articles this morning about the two whose lives were lost in death, one solitary thought permeated: BOTH LIVED AS PEOPLE OF FAITH & BOTH ARE REMEMBERED AS PEOPLE WHO ‘KNEW JESUS.’
Therefore—
- Even though they have died and walk on earth no longer, they are remembered.
- Although their lives are gone from this earth, their spiritual legacy lives on within those who remember them.
In one chapel service, the speaker spoke of the promise of eternal life to the ones who believe, for the Christian, including the promise that God will wipe away all the tears from His children’s eyes. This is the ‘richness’ we experience because everyone dies, but for those who die with ‘ETERNAL HOPE FOUND IN CHRIST JESUS,’ the living look at & think about THAT TRUTH, even as they feel the loss and pain, when the time of grieving and mourning comes. Those who have ACCEPTED the TRUTH of JESUS & have BELIEVED the TRUTH found in JESUS & have CONFESSED their sins committed against the FATHER & CREATOR GOD—KNOW THAT ETERNAL LIFE AWAITS THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE!
The great evangelist Billy Graham wrote: “No matter what the future holds for you—no matter what today holds for you—you do not face it alone if you know Christ” (Hope for Each Day 2012).
See the TRUTH found in the Bible, God’s Holy Word, His love letter to His Creation:
“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.”
- We are NEVER separated from GOD—when we know HIM.
- We can NEVER flee anywhere—when we know HIM as our SAVIOR.
- We may become sick, and we may even die, but—when we know HIM, we LIVE FOREVER WITH HIM!
We are Rich if we have “knowledge of Him.”
May we who do—know JESUS—share our wealth with others we encounter today.