In The Presence Of Jesus

"And He said to him, "Truly I say to you,

today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Luke 23:43

What a beautiful verse this is for the Christian. Just as Jesus assured the thief who expressed faith in Him that after their physical death they would be united in Paradise, we can be assured of the same thing. We know, as Christians that we have an eternal relationship with Jesus. Although our bodies may wear out physically, spiritually we are eternally secure in Him. That allows us to face death completely different than those who are not Christians.

I’m reminded of Psalm 116:15 which says "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." God has a completely different view of physical death than we; an eternal perspective. Physical death brings us into an even closer relationship with Him. Recently when I reflected on the death of someone close to me I thought of what a wondrous day that must have been for the one that passed on into eternity. They began the development of a relationship with Jesus Christ that was much greater than they had ever experienced in their physical life. They must have reveled in the presence of their Savior in a way we cannot imagine.

It is natural for us to mourn the loss of a loved one when they die because there is a physical separation and we miss them greatly. Jesus realized how Mary and Martha mourned when their brother Lazarus died and He wept with them .(Luke 11:1-36)

The Christian, however, mourns differently than the non-Christian because we know our separation is temporary. We have a confidence and a tremendous peace that our loved ones have entered into an enhanced relationship with our Savior and one day we will join them for eternity. We will worship God in a way we have never experienced before because the presence of the old nature is no longer a part of us. We are in a completed relationship with Jesus Christ.

I’m sure you have or will experience the death of someone you love. Be assured that it is ok to mourn, but be comforted by the fact that those who know the Lord Jesus are with your Savior and one day you will be united with them.