1 Thessalonians 4 - Death is not the End

Verses 13-18 explain how we, as Christians, have a hope beyond hope. Jesus is coming back and we will be with Him forever! That is awesome!

Verse 13 tells us not to grieve like those who have no hope. There is no reason to grieve, Jesus has saved us. The death of a loved one, especially around the holidays, is difficult for us left behind. We miss a lot of things about that person, and long for them to be with us, but if they accepted Christ Jesus as their personal Savior (and you have too), believe Jesus died for our sins and arose again, then there is no reason to grieve, you will see them again and be with them and the Lord forever! Wow, death has no power over us for we are saved by Christ Jesus! Verse 18 says “Therefore encourage each other with these words” and that is what I am trying to do now.

Personally, I would like to stop right here, but God has pressed upon my heart to continue. So you say, “that’s great Rick, we will meet our Christian friends and family again in Heaven and be with them and the Lord forever, but what about our non-Christian family and friends who have died”? John 14:6 says “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That is a tough pill to swallow concerning lost family and friends, but there is nothing you can do for them, they will not be there in Heaven with you.

It hurts, I know it does. I have lost several friends and family members who were not saved, I know that I will never see them again, it is very painful in two major ways. First, I miss them and it hurts to know they are gone. Last, I didn’t do everything I could to minister Jesus Christ to them, so they could be saved. The past is past, and the lost loved ones who are gone we can do nothing about BUT we can learn from that. We can still minister to the lost loved ones who are still alive and reach them with the Good News BEFORE it is too late. Pray for them daily and God will show you the way.

Now is a perfect opportunity to do that. During this holiday season you will be seeing people you don’t normally see on a regular basis, make sure they see Jesus Christ through you. Use this time together to minister to them about eternal salvation. You can’t change the past, but you can help secure hope for the future. God bless and keep you and strengthen you on your mission.