As a pastor, I do funerals and memorial services and graveside services. That's part of my job and part of my ministry to families. I don't mind them and actually count the opportunity an honor to stand on God's behalf to speak to families in the grief process.
So I think about death regularly.
Paul faced down some pretty rough situations too and its apparent from his writings that he thought about death too. He knew it was imminent for him, especially in the late-in-life-written-from-prison book of Philippians. And so smack in the middle of the first chapter he includes a thought about life that we need to embrace as followers of Jesus.
Dying is gain.
If we pass from this life to the next, we win.
If our bodies give out and we breathe our last, it's a good thing.
I'm obviously not saying we should cherish death or seek it. That's as ungodly and unbiblical as anything you could do since God is the God of life and the Enemy is the broker of death. Get over that kind of thinking.
But it does help put death into perspective. If you've been around people who follow Jesus as they get ready to go into eternity, they talk about their readiness. How are you "ready" for something so scary? When you know it's gain. It's shaping to perspective and courage to the waning.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
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