Death and dying has been on my mind of late (in case you haven't noticed). In general it is not a morose topic, but rather one of reflection. One wonders what lies beyond the grave, and how it will be revealed to us as we pass on to eternity. For those of us who have Hope, we see death as a transformation into a higher existence; one of perfection and eternal peace. Death for the believer is not the enemy; Jesus defeated death at the cross.
Death, in my opinion however, is not an event to celebrate. When a believer passes into eternity, we celebrate their life. We meet together to reflect upon their accomplishments on earth and celebrate their eternal freedom with Christ in Heaven. When my sister passed last month we celebrated the tremendous testimony she left us; her impact on hundreds of people will echo throughout eternity. I would never have thought to celebrate the death that took her. Death, in fact, had been rendered powerless by the blood of Christ.
Likewise, I do not celebrate the death of an unbeliever. Their death is a cause for true mourning, for they have no hope of peace with God. In the past few days, the death of a terrorist has caused great rejoicing in the world. I cannot join in that celebration.
Yes, I am glad that justice was done. Yes, I appreciate the sacrifices made to remove this tremendous threat from the world. No, I do not question the importance or necessity of the actions taken by our government. Yes, I love my country. But...I can appreciate the event without celebrating the death of the man. He had the same chance we all have to do good in the world. He had the same opportunity to seek the Truth and be set free. Instead he used his considerable intelligence for evil. His choices caused death and pain around the world. Still, his soul was precious to God, and I am certain God's tears fell as he passed into eternal judgment.
As the body of Christ, we need to take great care to display our faith for all to see. Christ commanded us to love our enemies. Not that we support them...not that we refrain from trying to stop them...but that we keep the cancer of hate from filling us so much that there is no room for His love...for if we act out of hate, are we not as bad as our enemies?
Death, in my opinion however, is not an event to celebrate. When a believer passes into eternity, we celebrate their life. We meet together to reflect upon their accomplishments on earth and celebrate their eternal freedom with Christ in Heaven. When my sister passed last month we celebrated the tremendous testimony she left us; her impact on hundreds of people will echo throughout eternity. I would never have thought to celebrate the death that took her. Death, in fact, had been rendered powerless by the blood of Christ.
Likewise, I do not celebrate the death of an unbeliever. Their death is a cause for true mourning, for they have no hope of peace with God. In the past few days, the death of a terrorist has caused great rejoicing in the world. I cannot join in that celebration.
Yes, I am glad that justice was done. Yes, I appreciate the sacrifices made to remove this tremendous threat from the world. No, I do not question the importance or necessity of the actions taken by our government. Yes, I love my country. But...I can appreciate the event without celebrating the death of the man. He had the same chance we all have to do good in the world. He had the same opportunity to seek the Truth and be set free. Instead he used his considerable intelligence for evil. His choices caused death and pain around the world. Still, his soul was precious to God, and I am certain God's tears fell as he passed into eternal judgment.
As the body of Christ, we need to take great care to display our faith for all to see. Christ commanded us to love our enemies. Not that we support them...not that we refrain from trying to stop them...but that we keep the cancer of hate from filling us so much that there is no room for His love...for if we act out of hate, are we not as bad as our enemies?
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