Joy in Death?

Last night I turned on a random music mix as our family washed up after dinner.  As a song by the band Third Day played, I was reminded of a friend named Mark Peters who has already passed into eternity.  Thinking of Mark caused me to think of Mark Rawn who also has gone been to be with the LORD while I have been living in Australia.  We used to attend Calvary Chapel El Cajon together, and I was always blessed to serve alongside them.

It was a unique experience as I washed dishes and listened to the song.  It was like Mark Peters and Mark Rawn were together, and they were laughing.  Try as I might, in my mind I could only see them smiling broadly in supreme comfort.  They were rejoicing!  Could I mourn for them now, seeing they had entered into the presence of the LORD for eternity?  In a strange way I almost envied them.  "You don't need to cry for me when my body dies," I told my son who was in the room.  Thinking about it now, that's a strange thing to say out of the blue, but I suppose my kids are fairly used to such things!  He wasn't worried at all.  I kept going.  "I am looking forward to it.  It will be my coronation day, my boy."  And according to God's grace, it will be the greatest day I will have ever experienced or imagined.

Thinking about the day of my death is an emotionally moving experience for me, but perhaps not in the way you might think.  There is not a shred of fear or uncertainty in my soul, but sheer joy wells up within me.  I tremble not in fear but in ecstatic anticipation!  Whether the day of my decease comes unexpectedly or with warning, regardless if I am in a hospital or by myself somewhere, I know I will not be alone in that moment.  God will be with me, and I need not fear.  Jesus is my Good Shepherd, and He is able to present me faultless before the Father with exceeding joy.  He holds the keys to death and hell.  It was fear of death which caused John Wesley to realise he had never been born again.  It is complete rest in the prospect of death - knowing both heaven and hell are real and an eternity in hell is what I deserve - that is strong evidence of the genuineness of my salvation.  Fear of God has swallowed up fear of death, for God has conquered death and given me victory through Jesus Christ.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides ample evidence of this reality.

Are you afraid to die?  Is there any niggle of doubt in your heart or mind faced with the prospect of passing into eternity today?  If you are in Christ, you need not fear.  I am blessed to know God's work shall continue without me, and His provision for my family does not depend upon me either.  All our needs are met in Him, and what peace and rest are available in Jesus Christ.  Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  We only have so many days left, so may we use every one of them wisely:  hearing God's Word and putting it into practice!