Romans 14:8 (NLT)
8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s
to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Our purpose whether in life or in death is to honor The
Lord. If we have a long life, live it to honor The Lord. If we die naturally or
by other means let out death give honor to The Lord.
In their book Building a Church of Small Groups, Bill
Donahue and Russ Robinson relate the words of Lyman Coleman as he reflected on
the death of his beloved wife, Margaret:
The most painful decision of my life was asking God to
take her home. She had been suffering from repeated brain seizures and her body
was wasted. I whispered in her ear: "Honey, I love you. I love you. Jesus
wants you to come home. We are going to be all right. We give you permission to
let go." She closed her eyes and fell asleep….
As I write this letter, I realize I am without my editor.
My greatest critic. My teammate. Soulmate. Prayermate. Partner in everything.
We traveled the roads less traveled together in hard times and good times.
Honey, I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I will keep the light on for the
kids. I will be there for friends. And one day, we are going to join you. All
of us. Because Jesus promised it. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is
the death of his saints."
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:13-18, But we
continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when
he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord
Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with
you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more
people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more
glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits
are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last
very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will
last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix
our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be
gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
There is a life eternal waiting for those who have placed
their faith in Christ. So whether we live or we die let us honor Christ giving
Him glory for the great things He has done.
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