I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…
Summary: Understanding the power of the Gospel is the key to understanding what happens after our bodies die.
Many of you who are reading this have much more experience with death than I do. Some people are better suited to dealing with trauma than others. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in the number of deaths this past year. Many of those who are dying are afraid, but every now and then, you hear of people who, like Paul, “desire to depart and be with Christ.”
One of those who were ready to meet Jesus was a woman I knew personally. Her name was Louise, and she was deeply in love with Jesus. It showed in everything she did. She was amazing.
My wife and I visited with her a few days before she passed. She was weak and tired. The disease that took her life was draining her strength as well, but she was also joyful and radiant. As far as I know, she received visitors up until the day she died. Everyone who took the time to visit left encouraged by her anticipation of being with her Lord.
This attitude toward death is not natural.
The flesh doesn’t want to die because it senses that when death comes it loses all power—the flesh glories in being able to get things for itself. The flesh delights in being able to manipulate and control others. When death comes, the flesh loses everything.
The cure for this fear of death is Jesus. He showed us that the power of God is not cut off at death. Instead, Jesus has the cure for death. It is called “true life.” (John 11:25-26)
As someone who tends to overthink things, I have pondered what this means. What is this difference between “death” and “life” that the Bible talks about?
In the simplest terms, Jesus explains that we are like branches on a grapevine (John 15:5). As long as we are connected to the vine, we have life. The vine supplies everything we need. If we become separated from the vine, we fall to the ground.
For a while, the branch that has fallen remains green. This is what life in the flesh is like. We imagine that we can live without being connected to the vine. Of course, that doesn’t work. Without the life-giving nutrients from the vine, the branch on the ground begins to dry out. It becomes brittle and inflexible and, when completely dry, is only fit for the fire.
Is the green branch on the ground doomed?
It doesn’t have to be.
Jesus can graft it back into the vine if we allow him to. Paul did, and so did Louise. Their lives and attitudes are testimonies to the power of the Vine, Jesus Christ.
Application: Seek Jesus every day.
Food for Thought: Why is Paul so confident that he will actually be with Jesus after he dies?
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