- Joined
- Feb 9, 2004
- Messages
- 17,081
Fear Of Death - January 27, 2007
"O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"
-1 Corinthians 15:55
I am not typically a fearful person, but I must admit that after my brother's unexpected death last year I began to have obsessive thoughts concerning possibly again losing someone near and dear to me. Not only did Nick's sudden demise make me see just how fragile life is, but I quickly also learned that no matter how we may plan and prepare, there is no avoiding the fact we all will one day die.
I came to this conclusion after months of pondering various "what-if" scenarios concerning my husband, adult-aged children, siblings and parents. Meaning, I would ask myself, "What if _______ suddenly died? What would I do?" I also went ahead and had my end of life and 'upon my death' wishes put in writing.
Thankfully, my fear subsided when, after much ado, there was no more to be done. And so, I went back to simply living.
A lot of people fear death, and while I cannot honestly say that at age forty-five I am anxiously looking forward to it, I do accept it's inevitability. And because I believe what the Bible says about the gift of salvation and eternal life to those who love God and His Son, Jesus Christ, death, for me, is not final, but is merely a passageway to another plane of existence. ("That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." -Romans 10:9) As someone once said, "We are not flesh and blood beings who have a spiritual mission, but rather, we are spiritual beings on a flesh and blood mission."
That mission, my friend, is to glorify God by how we live our life, and to preach God's good news to everyone who has an ear to listen.
If you fear death, then won't you replace worry and doubt with the peace and comfort that can only come from a relationship with your Creator?
Contributed by Melanie Schurr (Copyright (c)2005 Melanie Schurr) Melanie Schurr is author of "Ecstatic Living: A Christian marriage manual and Life-guide", "Son Salutations" and "Daily Contemplations", a collection of read-one-a-day modern inspirations. For more information, visit www.MelanieSchurr.com
"O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"
-1 Corinthians 15:55
I am not typically a fearful person, but I must admit that after my brother's unexpected death last year I began to have obsessive thoughts concerning possibly again losing someone near and dear to me. Not only did Nick's sudden demise make me see just how fragile life is, but I quickly also learned that no matter how we may plan and prepare, there is no avoiding the fact we all will one day die.
I came to this conclusion after months of pondering various "what-if" scenarios concerning my husband, adult-aged children, siblings and parents. Meaning, I would ask myself, "What if _______ suddenly died? What would I do?" I also went ahead and had my end of life and 'upon my death' wishes put in writing.
Thankfully, my fear subsided when, after much ado, there was no more to be done. And so, I went back to simply living.
A lot of people fear death, and while I cannot honestly say that at age forty-five I am anxiously looking forward to it, I do accept it's inevitability. And because I believe what the Bible says about the gift of salvation and eternal life to those who love God and His Son, Jesus Christ, death, for me, is not final, but is merely a passageway to another plane of existence. ("That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." -Romans 10:9) As someone once said, "We are not flesh and blood beings who have a spiritual mission, but rather, we are spiritual beings on a flesh and blood mission."
That mission, my friend, is to glorify God by how we live our life, and to preach God's good news to everyone who has an ear to listen.
If you fear death, then won't you replace worry and doubt with the peace and comfort that can only come from a relationship with your Creator?
Contributed by Melanie Schurr (Copyright (c)2005 Melanie Schurr) Melanie Schurr is author of "Ecstatic Living: A Christian marriage manual and Life-guide", "Son Salutations" and "Daily Contemplations", a collection of read-one-a-day modern inspirations. For more information, visit www.MelanieSchurr.com
