LIFE and DEATH… and LIFE

Are you afraid of dying? Some people never give it a thought. They have the classic “it won’t happen to me” attitude. Others don’t want to think about it, because they are so afraid of the very idea. Younger people don’t usually spend too much time thinking about dying, unless they have a close encounter with death. The adventurous ones, who do life-challenging things just for the fun of it, seem to laugh death in the face. I say “seem to”. But I believe that deep down, where no one can see, we are all afraid of death. We don’t enjoy the idea of our life suddenly coming to a stop. Yet whatever we think, death is the final curtain in this life, and there are no encores.

Much of the mystery of death concerns what happens afterwards. Do we go on existing somewhere else? We have an inborn sense that there must be something more; especially when one gets to the later years, it’s natural to wonder: Is this all there is? What about Heaven? Is there such a place?

Are you perhaps wondering why I’m bringing up such a gloomy subject when this blog is supposed to be about light touches from the LORD?
It’s because we have just come through the season when we remembered the most profound happening in the history of the human race – the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is more historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, than there is for the existence of Julius Caesar!

 

 

A lot of research has been done on the subject of life after death. People of all ages have had experiences known as NDEs (near death experiences), including young children. Their descriptions of Heaven have dovetailed remarkably: a place of unbelievable beauty, fields of flowers, crystal clear rivers, intense colours unknown on earth, music beyond human ability to create. A place of happiness, peace and of indescribable love. They have told about meeting with family members who have died. They reported seeing beings of brilliant light. And some of them say they met Jesus Himself. And none of them wanted to come back to this life.
Others have returned and talked about a terrifying experience, a place of horror and pain, of attacks by fiendish beings; a place of darkness and abandonment. A place the Bible calls Hell.
This would agree with the Bible’s clear teaching that there is life after death.

So wouldn’t you say it’s a sensible thing to at least start thinking about that life, and where you might want to spend it?
By rising from the dead, Jesus shattered forever the power of death, and opened the way for us to live with God for eternity. He unlocked Heaven for us and gave us a future that is mindblowing. Because of this, there is no longer any need to fear death. It is simply a step through the door to the amazing life we were created for.

 

A baby in the womb could never understand if you tried to describe to him the life he would  have after birth. He has gifts and talents in him that he has had no need or ability to use. He has certain body parts that will never be used in the womb, but are meant for use in the world he’s going to enter. Maybe he would feel some anxiety at the thought of having to go through the birth canal in order to enter that world. It’s the same with us. In the life we can live with God, we will live fully, as we were created to live. And we get to choose our destination.
To be certain of that future is not hard.
Admit your need of a Saviour. Accept for yourself the forgiveness He died to give you, when He took the punishment for your sin on the cross. Give control of your life to Him.
And He will give you a fresh start- you will be created new. And you’ll be able to truly laugh in the face of death.

SECURITY

Security. It’s almost a buzzword of the 21^st century.

We have security guards everywhere, security gates and bars in our homes, residential areas that are gated for security, and security checks at every airport. We are advised to keep our personal information secure, we carry identity documents for security purposes, we secure our valuables in safes and bank vaults, we insure everything we own against possible loss. We look for security in our relationships and in our employment.

Humanity has a basic, deepseated need to be and to feel secure. As children, we need the security of a parent’s love and care. As adults, we look to a husband or a wife to provide that secure feeling, to doctors, to policemen, or sometimes, to the government.  We know that our security can be violated and we are terrified of being left open and vulnerable to harm. And yet, in all our quest for security, we never really seem to find it.

Why is this?

We were created to know total security – to know with complete assurance that we are perfectly loved and cared for by a God who holds us in His hands and will never let us go. The first man and woman knew this security and the peace and rest of heart that accompanies it. They were given a garden to live in and everything they needed was superabundantly supplied. They lacked nothing. And, to crown it all, the God who personified their security met and talked with them every day. There was nothing at all to threaten that perfect peace.

Until one day, when their security was shattered by their own tragic choice – the choice to be their own   gods. We, their descendents, have been looking for security ever since, in every possible way. And today, with the shaking of everything that’s happening all around us, from economic collapse to the literal shaking of the earth in massive earthquakes, we are less secure than we have ever been.

There is only one way to regain the true security that we all so desperately want, and the rest and peace of mind that seem so elusive. We need to reverse, for ourselves, the choice that was made in that garden. We need to come back to the only Security there ever has been – to the God who holds us in His hands and cares for us completely. We need to realise we can never provide our own security, and turn our lives over to Him, making Him Lord of our lives. Which means that He calls the shots. And we start by receiving the forgiveness of our rebellion, forgiveness  that He made possible by His death. It’s as simple, and as difficult, as that. Simple, because He forgives us at once,  and freely; difficult, because it costs us our pride.

The only other option is to run your own life and try to find peace in all the places that will never provide the total, permanent security you so desperately want.