Facing Death

 Many people do not ever want to think about their own death. They avoid it at all costs. It is as if they think it will go away if they ignore it. I would assert that it is good for us to consider our death. It brings us to a stark reality. We can't really do anything to keep ourselves from dying when our time comes. When we have to face death, who will we trust?

Paul had to face death when he was ministering in Asia because the persecution became so intense. He has given us his conclusion because of that experience. (II Corinthians 1:9) He said that he and the others with him had the sentence of death within themselves, so that they would not trust in themselves, but in God who raises the dead. Isn't that amazing? Paul thought the sentence of death was good for him, not a terrible thing.

Yes, when we face death, we have to make the decision to trust the Lord or to trust ourselves. God brings us to have times like that so we will be drawn to Him and not go our own way. His desire is for us to see that He is the One Person who can save us from the sentence of physical death and spiritual death. He can stop others from killing us, as we trust Him, or He can deliver us by taking us to heaven.

The key is that God is the One who raises the dead. We can trust Him to raise us like He raised Lazarus after 4 days of being in the tomb. We should be confident in that possibility. Also, since He is the One who raised Jesus from the dead for our salvation, we can trust Him to save us from our sins and prepare us to go to heaven when we die. Either way, we put ourselves in His hands and trust Him with whatever happens to us.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 2-4.