No matter how old we are, if we belong to Jesus, death is not to be feared or dreaded.

Is the Bible really true?

Is Heaven really our eternal home?

Will all of God’s promises be fulfilled?

Then we have nothing to fear. God holds our days in His hands.

Psalm 139:16 – Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

Do we strive to live healthy lives and make wise choices, knowing our lives are precious? Of course! Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit – gifts to steward so that we can serve God effectively for as long as He allows us to live. We are the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, His hands and feet on this earth continuing the work and mission of Jesus to preach the kingdom of God and the gospel.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

But no matter how healthy we might be (or think we are), our days are numbered. Death comes for all of us, sooner or later. When death comes for the elderly and the terminally ill, we expect it, but we must not be fooled by bodies that seemingly appear strong and healthy and destined for a long life.

No one knows the day of their death, and so we ought to prepare for it as though it were imminent.

How do you prepare for death?

You accept its inevitable reality and prepare to meet your Creator.

Hebrews 9:28 – And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

This is the truth: any one of us could die at any moment. Death is one enemy that we will never overcome in our human wisdom and strength. The only “cure” for our physical death is the promise of eternal life by faith in the finished work of our Savior, Jesus.

Death for the follower of Jesus is simply a door we walk through from this very short, temporary physical life into the eternal life God created us to enjoy with Him forever. Are we sad when our loved ones go through that door unexpectedly and far too early in our opinion? Yes. We grieve our loss, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We rejoice that they have entered the place of eternal joy and peace where they will never again experience sin’s presence and all the pain and suffering that sin has brought to our world.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

When I am old and my body is failing, death will be a welcome release from this life. But even if I walk through the door to eternity in what some might consider the “prime” of my life, it will be no less of a blessing, as my faith becomes sight in the presence of God.

Do you look forward to death, or fear it?

Your answer will reveal the condition of your heart and your relationship with Jesus. If you do not know Him, you have every reason to fear. May that fear fuel you to seek salvation today.

Hebrews 2:14-15,17 – Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. … Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.