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How to Live, How to Die

20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I...

Because He Lives

1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment...

Ready to Live—Ready to Di...

Christians can stand up to life without defeat and accept death without fear. They are ready to live and they are ready to die. The apostle Paul expressed this kind of confidence when he said, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6). Here is a man standing on the brink of eternity, shaking hands with deat...

Telling Children About De...

Nowhere is the conspiracy of silence more prevalent than in dealing with children about death. Death education, even more than sex education, is something that many parents don’t want to face with children. But death is a fact of life and normal, well-adjusted children must be acquainted with it. How do you explain death to a child? You can begin with nature....

Immortality

Philosopher James Martineau once said, “We do not believe in immortality because we have proved it, but we forever try to prove it because we believe it.” Immortality, like so many things, cannot be proven by the scientific or historical methods. However, belief in it is credible for several reasons. 1. Reason. There are two truths that make immortality r...

Helping the Terminally Il...

Learning that one has a terminal illness is about the most shocking experience a person can have. Former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey said, “The worst and most shattering day of my life was the day I learned I had cancer.” Life was never intended to be lived as a solo but as a chorus. We must therefore stand ready to help one another through these di...

The Life Beyond

“One of these days you will read in the newspaper that D. L. Moody is dead. Don’t you believe it. I will be more alive then than I have ever been before.” - D.L. Moody It is the conviction of every Christian that life does not end at the cemetery. There is an eternal spirit in us that cannot be destroyed by the death of the body. Death is not t...

Set Your House in Order

In recent years funerals have garnered a lot of criticism. They have been called everything from pagan to a denial of death. I cannot agree with the current thinking that we should do away with funeral services. If we do, we will be doing away with not only the dignity of the individual, but also with something that helps people have a normal grief release. People hav...

Life after Death

The question of the ages was posed by Job when he asked, “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” (Job 14:10) The answer to that question, I believe, is that man lives on after death. Why do I believe in life after death? 1. I believe it instinctively. A well-known atheist in France honestly confessed a deep-seate...

Today's Devotional

Senseless Tragedies

Once we buried a young lady who was only 21 years old. She was killed in a head-on collision while on her way to church. The night before the funeral, my daughter asked why God allows things like this to happen.

I wish I knew. Things like this have puzzled saints, wise men, and philosophers since the world began.

There is simply no one easy answer as to why tragedies like this happen. The answer may lie in the fact that God made us free. He created us with the ability to make our own choices, and choices always involve consequences. If we are careless or foolish in our choices, or if others are, we may suffer because of them. If God did not allow us freedom, we’d be less than people. We’d be robots.

This may be the only explanation we will ever have for some suffering. However, we do not have to know why things happen in order to be victorious over them. On the cross Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) But the heavens were as brass. God was silent. He didn’t even answer his own Son. Jesus might have despaired and become bitter against God. But instead he said, “Father, into thy hands I commend [entrust, hand over] my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

This kind of faith is far more important than any answer we might receive. In our lives, as in the life of Jesus, it is faith that makes the difference between victory and defeat.

So keep believing in God no matter what. Commit your life to him and regardless of what happens, God will help you.

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