Does the thought of death scare you?
Does the thought of death scare you? Have you experienced anxiety when thinking of your mortality? Most people, at some point in their lives, do fear the inevitable. This is why funerals can be so uncomfortable, apart from the grief. The reality of our mortality can at times cause fear to well up within us. This doesn’t have to be the case, however. For those who have been born-again death is no longer to be feared. The following poem explains why quite beautifully:
Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.
If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To welcome endless day?
Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that into God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.
Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if Thy work on earth be sweet,
What will Thy glory be?
My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with Him.
Richard Baxter, a 17th century pastor, wrote this poem. He wrote it at the age of 70 while suffering from tuberculosis. That is not all. He had just been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his preaching of the gospel. His trust in God and knowledge of his Savior gave him peace in spite of his circumstances.
You can have the same confidence. How? Trust God, living a life of repentance and faith in His Son Jesus Christ.