Death

 Death is not a subject about which we like to talk very often. It is often thought of in a very negative way, because so many people think it is the worst thing that can happen to any person. Many people fear death, and they try to do whatever they can do to keep from dying. I do not believe God wants us to view death in these ways. He wants us to see it as a part of life. We all will die, unless Jesus comes back to rapture His own out of this world while we are still alive. Death is the best thing that can happen to any believer. We go directly to the presence of the Lord, and we will be in a perfect place with no sin forever. Yes, I know we do not want to leave our loved ones behind, but it should comfort our loved ones to know we are doing well. The problem is when a person has not trusted in the Lord. When that person dies, there is separation from God in a horrible place of torment forever. God doesn't want that to happen to anyone, so He reveals Himself to every person who is born into the world, and each person must decide what to do. The diviner, Balaam son of Beor, was just one person who lived. (Joshua 13:22) He was killed by the army of Israel as they overcame the kings east of the Jordan River. I don't think he ever put his trust in the One True God, but he had every opportunity to do so.

Balaam was asked by the king to curse Israel as they traveled by their land on the way to Canaan. God told him not to do that, so even though he was urged to do it 3 times, he blessed them 3 times, instead. In the process God spoke to Balaam, his donkey spoke to him because he saw God's angel with a drawn sword, and Balaam must have known that God was real and working in that situation. The question is, "Did Balaam put his faith in God as Lord of all?" If not, when he died, he was forever without hope of salvation. What about you, your family, and your friends? God has given all of us plenty of evidence of His existence and power, so that we know we need to trust Him as Lord. All of our eternity depends on how we respond to God's revelation. Now, we have the Bible, and Jesus has died for our sins before being raised the third day to show everyone His victory over sin, death, and Satan. No one has any excuse not to trust Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Please, make that decision today, if you haven't done that yet. None of us know when death will come, and it will be too late.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 14-16.