Titus 2 Men And Women

Christian, "To Die Is Gain";
We Should Long For Heaven
By John R. Rice
Forward by Sharon Merhalski

In the last six months I have had many opportunities to address some form of the question, "aren't you going to allow yourself to grieve?"  All forms of this question have, at times, left me wondering if I have missed something.  At times the question made me feel...odd.  Many times the phrasing of that question caused me to just sit alone with God with my Bible open on my lap, searching scripture for what people expected me to be doing.  (I will write an article on grief in the near future.)

Why have I so often been asked a form of the aforementioned question?  In the last six months my son graduated to Heaven and my mother and my only sibling, my brother, died.  I have had a lot of reason to question and seek the Lord about exactly how He expects His children to grieve...and how He does not want us to grieve.  When I read the following text Dr. Rice's words excited me.  His teaching are the truths that have kept me from grieving as those who have no HOPE.--Sharon 

Christian, "To Die Is Gain";
We Should Long For Heaven 

--John R. Rice
"Bible Facts About Heaven"

"We Christians often act like heathen.  We preach that it is wonderful to be a Christian, that Heaven is to be gained and Hell shunned.  Then when one of our loved ones dies, we act as if it were all a lie.  Our actions say that this world is a better than the next, that death is a tragedy, and we ask querulously in our unbelief, Why?  Why?  Why?

We feel that Heaven is bearable, all right, when one has sucked dry all the pleasures of earth.  We feel that, only after old age has come upon us, when life is a burden, when health has failed, when we are in the way and our children don't want us, then perhaps we should be resigned to go to Heaven.  Subconsciously we look upon Heaven as a scrap heap for the worn-out and useless, a kind of old people's home--better than nothing but not as good as this world, with youth, health and prosperity.

Shame on us!!!  When we weep and lament at the death of our loved ones, we often make void our testimony, cast reflection upon the Bible and irreverence on Heaven.

For the Christian, death is not a tragedy but a glorious promotion--not the sad end, but the glorious beginning.

Sometimes we hear people say how sad it is that one should die so young.  but that is a deception of Satan.  If a young Christian dies, it is not sad but glorious.  Many of the fairest buds that ever grew on earth have blossomed in Heaven.  However much we miss our loved ones when they fall asleep, let us remember that our mourning is selfish.  There is rejoicing in Heaven.  Not one in that blessed land would, if he could, return to the decaying form he left, to live out the life he had planned, to see the happiest future he could imagine on this earth.  Death for a sinner is horrible, but never for a child of God.  "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:  Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13).  Blessed and happy are the Christian dead!"

  "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
   But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"
Philippians 1:21-23

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