Deuteronomy 30:19
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Through the years I have sat across the table from grieving individuals who have just experienced the loss of a loved one. In a few instances I have even had to deliver the news of that loved one’s death to their family.
Sometimes I have heard statements to the effect a friend had mentioned that God needed another angel — and the deceased person was that angel. I am always compelled to debunk the false notion that we become angels when we die.
It always delights me to learn that the deceased person had received Jesus as their personal Savior. All too often, however, there is no indication that the deceased had ever received Christ as their personal Savior. Some have tried to paint a picture of salvation where there is no basis for that false hope.
In contrast to this false comfort are those who have made the choice to go God’s way. When believers close their eyes in death, they awaken to life everlasting. That is real comfort that is based upon the certainty of God’s Word.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil