Tombstones and Epitaphs
One day you’ll have a tombstone. What will it say?
The death of a loved one can sneak up on you and surprise you unaware. Other times, you may know it’s coming and have time to prepare for it. Either way, the result is the same...the outcome is final. That person you love is now missing from your life. Jesus assured us in John 11:25-26 of eternal life in heaven for all those who belong to Him. Those comforting words give us hope for the future...but in the short term, grief can feel overwhelming.
It’s possible you may even be reeling from the after-effects of someone who chose to take his or her own life. If so, you may be dealing with anger toward the one you miss so much—as well as struggling with many lingering, unanswered questions.
You can be assured that Jesus Christ will never leave you. He sees every tear and hears every desperate cry, and His love and comfort are everlasting.
One day you’ll have a tombstone. What will it say?
When we acknowledge God is in control (not us) it makes a difference in how we live...and in how we die.
Just before Christ died on the cross he said, “It is finished!” His death covered over our sins completely. There is nothing left that needs to be finished by man.
First John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins....” Forgiveness is what the cross was all about.
We live in a death-denying culture. We don’t like to think about it, talk about it, or even plan on it. But Jesus did not have that option. The shadow of the cross stretched across each day of His life on earth.
Tombstones are all the same when it comes to time. It’s always represented by a little small dash and that’s all. That’s life, and then it’s gone.
Christ proved His love in that while we were still sinners He died for us. Do you know Christ died for you?
Through the months leading to Christmas we are busily about our stuff—doing business, travelling, and engaged in the give and take of life. And then Christmas hits and the zoom lenses of our minds focus on the outstretched arms of the One who saved us.
If death came today, would you be ready? God loves you and wants you to live forever with him. There’s only one way to heaven, and that is through Christ. If you’ve never thought about your eternal destiny there no better time than now to believe.
God’s faithfulness is unconditional, unending, and unswerving. Even in the face of death. He is the eternal I AM, the sovereign Lord of the universe. And you can trust Him with your very life.