Future Hope
My mom went to be with the Lord on the 9th of November (one month ago) after having a heart attack on the 7th of November. She was in the hospital for two days and never regained consciousness.
My mom had the habit of reading from Our Daily Bread every day for as long as I can remember. The following was the scripture and devotional reading that she had bookmarked on the day of her heart attack. It may well have been the last thing she read before going to work that morning.
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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
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As I waited outside the Intensive Care Unit for changes in the condition of a loved one, I was reminded that death affects all of us: old and young, male and female, rich and poor.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul comforted those who mourned the death of their loved ones. He told them that excessive grief resulted from being uninformed. Weeping for our loss is good, but we need not weep like those who have no hope. Instead, we must rely on three certainties of death.
The first certainty is that the soul does not die. The souls of departed believers are with the Lord (v.14). They have retired from this problematic world, and they “sleep in Jesus.”
Second, Jesus will come for every believer. Whether a Christian is alive on earth or asleep in death, Jesus will return for all His children (vv.16-17).
Third, there will be a joyous reunion. “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (v.17).
Knowing these certainties brings comfort to believers when their friends and loved ones depart. Although we are separated from them for a while, we will meet again in the presence of our Lord. —Albert Lee
When facing death’s shadow, remember the Light;
The shadows bring fear, and the dark shrouds our eyes;
But if we will turn to face Jesus the Light,
The shadows will fade as He brightens our skies. —Lee
Sunset in one land is sunrise in another.
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I found this after the funeral. At first it was kind of creepy but as family went back to their homes around the country it gave me comfort. It hit me that life would be different without my mom around, but knowing that she had faith in Christ and hope for a brighter future helped me cope with the loss. My own faith in Christ also gave me comfort in that I believe she is in heaven free from pain and all the afflictions she dealt with on this earth. We will continue to mourn her loss but we also need to remember that she is in a much better place and we'll see her again someday.
My mom had the habit of reading from Our Daily Bread every day for as long as I can remember. The following was the scripture and devotional reading that she had bookmarked on the day of her heart attack. It may well have been the last thing she read before going to work that morning.
-------
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
-------
As I waited outside the Intensive Care Unit for changes in the condition of a loved one, I was reminded that death affects all of us: old and young, male and female, rich and poor.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul comforted those who mourned the death of their loved ones. He told them that excessive grief resulted from being uninformed. Weeping for our loss is good, but we need not weep like those who have no hope. Instead, we must rely on three certainties of death.
The first certainty is that the soul does not die. The souls of departed believers are with the Lord (v.14). They have retired from this problematic world, and they “sleep in Jesus.”
Second, Jesus will come for every believer. Whether a Christian is alive on earth or asleep in death, Jesus will return for all His children (vv.16-17).
Third, there will be a joyous reunion. “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (v.17).
Knowing these certainties brings comfort to believers when their friends and loved ones depart. Although we are separated from them for a while, we will meet again in the presence of our Lord. —Albert Lee
When facing death’s shadow, remember the Light;
The shadows bring fear, and the dark shrouds our eyes;
But if we will turn to face Jesus the Light,
The shadows will fade as He brightens our skies. —Lee
Sunset in one land is sunrise in another.
-------
I found this after the funeral. At first it was kind of creepy but as family went back to their homes around the country it gave me comfort. It hit me that life would be different without my mom around, but knowing that she had faith in Christ and hope for a brighter future helped me cope with the loss. My own faith in Christ also gave me comfort in that I believe she is in heaven free from pain and all the afflictions she dealt with on this earth. We will continue to mourn her loss but we also need to remember that she is in a much better place and we'll see her again someday.
posted by Justin at 12/09/2006 12:22:00 PM
2 comments
