Date: July 20, 2024 (ST).
References:
Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Matthew 25:34-40; Matthew 28:20; 1 Corinthians 13:8; 2 Corinthians 1:3,4; Romans 8:26-28; Ecclesiastes 7:2-4.
What is the feeling when someone close to you dies? Someone whom you’ve known for so many years, and you spent your lives together, day in and day out, morning till evening and throughout the night on some days. Someone whom you and your whole family have loved so much. It is as if they were your best friend.
Let me first take this opportunity to enlighten you, that you should have no other best friends in life other than JESUS and the H-LY SPIRIT. Every other friend you have should be on the secondary or tertiary level to JESUS and the H-LY SPIRIT. JESUS and the H-LY SPIRIT are your best friends in life, your closest companions in life. Through thick and thin, JESUS and the H-LY SPIRIT will never leave you, betray you, or abandon you, even if other people in your life have left you. You are never alone, never alone. G-D is with you always, even to the end of your age (SEE Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Matthew 28:20).
The death of someone is always painful, especially if you loved them very much. Whether that person was a parent, sibling, spouse, or if it was a pet dog or cat. It is nice to have known them over so many years of their life and you’ve had a chance to love them so much. Truly, it was a privilege G-D had bestowed on your life to have your life spent with them.
A time of death is the time to reflect on your life together with the one you loved so much. A life filled with so many memories – the good and the bad. Death is a time of closure of the relationship and knowing, if they were a Christian, you will meet again in Heaven, in the presence of JESUS, at the time of your own death or at the time of Rapture.
Hold no regrets and resentment in life. Don’t hold grudges against people. Don’t have hate in your heart towards anyone. Don’t resent any relationship in your life. G-D will help you in your relationships, even if times are difficult between two people. Don’t abandon them when they need you the most. Don’t abandon old people, don’t abandon old animals. Take care of them to the best of your ability, with all love and sincerity, in all humility and do good to them, always. Because, once they die and are no more, you can never take back what you didn’t do for them or the wrong you did to them. You never go back in time to fix things and make it right again. It’s a lost opportunity.
Don’t have such regrets in life. It will hurt you to think you could have done so much more for them and you didn’t do it, because you were selfish.
Be selfless as much as you can be in your love toward others. This is pure love. This is the love G-D wants to see in His followers, always.
Love never quits, the Bible teaches us (SEE 1 Corinthians 13:8). JESUS never quits on you. The H-LY SPIRIT will never leave you, unless you tell Him to go. JESUS will never forsake you unless you turn your back on Him. Otherwise, G-D will never leave you or forsake you, ever.
In the same way, when you love someone, don’t leave them or abandon them (unless it is a sinful relationship, like living a life in adultery, sexual immorality or sexual perversion, then they are all sinful relationships that G-D will not tolerate). Any natural relationship between family members, good friendships, good brotherhood, good sisterhood, good community living, good camaraderie with people in your church, all such relationships are important and should be highly valued and prioritized over selfish gain, selfish ambitions, greed and corruption.
It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all, the common proverb says. It was said by the famous English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson in a poem he wrote in memory of a friend he loved, who died very young. Loving someone is a great feeling.
That’s why it is important we love G-D above all things in life. Love G-D first and then your neighbor, these are the greatest commandments in the Bible, in this order. When you love G-D as such, and then your neighbor, you are bringing out of you, the greatest of all good character traits, every believer in CHRIST should possess in themselves.
Your love for G-D comes above your faith and hope in G-D (SEE 1 Corinthians 13:13). Therefore, it is important to love G-D above all things in life, and then only others.
Love others as much as you love yourself. When you love others as much as you love yourself, you don’t want to hurt them, abandon them, quit on them or run away when they need you the most. Don’t run out on anyone, especially at the end of their life or when they are suffering (e.g. in ill health, or other sorrows of their heart to afflict them). It is very selfish and such selfishness is detestable in G-Ds sight.
JESUS is always there for you, to comfort you, through the power of His H-LY SPIRIT, the Bible teaches us (SEE 2 Corinthians 1:3,4). Don’t think there is no one left to love you on earth even after the passing of your beloved. JESUS is there for you. He has always been there for you, and He will always be there for you. That’s why it is important to learn to love G-D above all things in life, as the Bible teaches you to love Them.
G-D should be the one you love the most, above the love you have for your own mother, father, brother(s), sister(s), husband, wife, child, children, pet(s), aunt(s), uncle(s), grandfather(s), grandmother(s) or any other dear friend. This way, you know, if your beloved dies, JESUS is still there for you, because G-D never dies. JESUS is the same yesterday, today and forever, the Bible tells us (SEE Hebrews 13:8). So, even when your loved one passes away from this world into the next, you are never alone, JESUS is right beside you, always.
Talk to someone around you when your beloved dies. Don’t be alone. Don’t hold all your pain of the death of your beloved inside you. Cry it out, cry your heart out. Let it all out, all your emotions. Weep and mourn for your beloved. Weep and weep and cry till you have no more tears to cry for your beloved. This is how you overcome the death of your beloved. It is not easy, it is hard. It is a difficult time, an arduous process.
There is no right time for anyone to die, just as there is no right time to be born, or right time to get married. So don’t blame G-D or anyone around you for the death of your beloved, it will not change anything. It will not bring your beloved back from the dead. Let their death be an event to be forgotten. Only hold onto the good memories you have of them, if you want. You can remember their death anniversary, but don’t think about how they died. Think about the good times you all had together, in all the years you lived together and saw each other and loved each other. There is no better way to think of your beloved than that.
Don’t hold on to the death of your loved one without talking to anyone about it. Don’t hold it inside you. Talk to those who knew your beloved and share with them, the pain of your loss. Call them, talk to them. See them in person or write to them. Let all those whom you and your beloved knew together, know of your beloved’s passing.
It is important to let others know of the death of your beloved, because they too would have loved your beloved in some form of way or another and have fond memories of them. It is a time for them to be sorrowful with you, and to support you. If they visit you, then it is good. If not, you make sure you are around people who can share their time with you, to mourn with you. Don’t go to work. Take time off, at least for one day.
The first day of death is the hardest 24 hours in your life, since a long time. It is natural to recount every step of your life in the past 24 hours, if you were with them when your beloved died. As the days go by, one day at a time, there will be healing in your heart. JESUS brings healing to your heart, body, mind, soul and spirit. Pray to G-D to comfort you and heal you of all your pain and sorrows of the death in your life. G-D will heal you and help you forget all your sorrows, pain and brokenness.
Don’t ignore G-D. Run to G-D instead.
Cry out to Him. Pray to Him. Sit (kneel) in the presence of G-D and mourn the death of your beloved. G-D will comfort you greatly, through the power of the H-LY SPIRIT. G-D will speak to you and make your life better.
Turn on soothe, easy listening, soft Christian music if available. Listen to comforting words of the lyrics and call on G-D to help you in your time of need – e.g. SEE song: “You’re beautiful” – by Phil Wickham – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZEltZXQpuM]. G-D is beautiful and when we see JESUS, all our painful memories on earth, especially of the death of your beloved are gone. It is vanished, because JESUS makes us forget it all in His presence.
Give glory to G-D, Amen!
Go to your nearest Church if possible and ask for support. G-D willing, they are good to you and will help you and talk to you and not leave you alone. Continue to seek G-D and also people who are willing to mourn with you, till you are better and have overcome the grief in your soul and spirit. Take time mourn, don’t rush through it. Don’t bottle it up and forget about it. Get all the grief out of you and then move on in life. It usually takes about 40 days (6-7 weeks’ time) from the date of a death of a loved one to be healed of their passing.
Get together with people who are willing to help you. Don’t turn to alcohol, drugs, food, gaming, gambling or any illicit sexual relationship to take away your pain and sadness. Don’t be a cocoon and lock yourself up inside your house either. Instead, go spend time outside your house if you are able. Walk the streets in your neighborhood. Walk in a park and appreciate the nature that’s all around you. You could also go to a beach or a lake and sit down by the shore and let time pass you by.
While you sit there, pray and seek G-D in your time of sorrow. Healing will come to you; G-Ds supernatural healing will come to you soon. G-D is watching over you. You are not alone. The H-LY SPIRIT is there in your sorrows; He will help you and pray with you as you cry out to G-D your FATHER (SEE Romans 8:26-28). G-D is there with you, sitting right beside you, when there are only tears flowing down your cheeks and your eyes are filled with blurry vision and you wonder, what now? What happens now? What do I do in life now? I miss him/her so much.
Your life is not over. Don’t panic.
Remember, G-D is on His throne. G-D is always on His throne, and He remembers His own. G-D is in control of the world, the universe, always. He will help you, no matter what happens in life, including the death of your beloved. G-D is with you always. Never think you are all alone now, even though you miss your loved one very much.
The Christian hymn “O G-D, our help in ages past,….” says: Time like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away – [SEE lyrics: https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/607]. Time will take people away from us, whether we like it or not. This is how life is. That’s the reality of life. It’s the same world over, no one is exempt.
Don’t be angry with G-D for the death of your loved one. It is futile to fight with G-D and be angry with Him. It is a battle never to be fought or thought about. Instead, thank G-D for all the time He let you have in this world with your beloved. Thank G-D for all the days you both had to spend together and the opportunities you both were given to be with each other over the years. Have a sense of gratefulness, gratitude toward G-D and not of anger or rage. G-D is not your enemy, He is your best friend. Only G-D can help you get through this difficult period in your life, at the time of someone’s passing. No one is there for you like JESUS is there for you. He is a faithful and trusted friend, now and forever. JESUS is your infinite source of help, guidance and comfort, a present help in time of need, a friend like no other, the Bible teaches us (SEE Psalms 46:1-3; John 15:15; Proverbs 18:24).
At such times – in the death of a loved one, communal living, especially living as a nuclear family helps very much. If you can go live with your family, then go do so. Don’t be alone after the time of death of your beloved one. If you don’t live in a nuclear family, you will still make it through. Don’t worry. JESUS is always there for you, no matter what happens in life. JESUS is your best and most trusted friend in life. He is a good G-D. A good, good, FATHER, now and always, Amen!
You will be okay. Another Christian hymn, says: “It is well, it is well, with my soul.” This song was written by Horatio Spafford at the time of the death of his beloved ones: his four daughters, in a shipwreck. JESUS will give you the peace you need in your life, for you to say, every day: “it is well, it is well, with my soul.”
You will overcome this painful time in your life, in JESUS great and mighty Name, Amen. You are more than a conqueror through CHRIST JESUS who strengthens you (SEE Romans 8:37). You will get through this time of sorrow, pain, difficulty and loss. Nothing is impossible with G-D Almighty and He will help you and He will send people to help you (SEE Luke 1:37,38). Pray and ask G-D to do so for you. Pray to G-D and He will heal you.
Let G-D heal your heart, soul, spirit and mind and give you strength to go on in life. JESUS will hear your prayers when you call out to Him (SEE Luke 11:9,10; Proverbs 15:29; 1 Peter 3:12). Be near to G-D, draw closer to Him and He will come near to you.
Death is a time of reflection in your life. Life is fleeting, the Bible says (SEE Psalms 103:15-18; 1 Peter 1:24). At the time of death, a chapter of your life has closed, and a new one is beginning. The old has gone, the new will come. Don’t hold on to the past, let it go. Let it all go. Don’t hold onto any part of your past. Forget it and move on in life. This is what G-D intends for your life. Not for you to keep living in sadness, pain, and mourning the loss of your beloved. They are no more. You have to let go of it. No amount of tears and sorrow is going to bring back your beloved.
After the mourning period is over (40 days – 6-7 weeks’ time), you need to move on in life. So, its best is to leave your beloved’s death behind you and never look back again or live in the past memories of your life together. Learn to live your life again, after the mourning period is over. You must overcome all your grief over beloved within a short while. Otherwise, it can cause other problems for you in life, and you don’t want that to happen. You don’t want to make matters worse for yourself and for those around you. Don’t do it. Don’t let that happen to you.
Let G-D lead you and guide you where you should go. Don’t be afraid in life, neither be dismayed (SEE Joshua 1:1,2,5-9). Gird yourself up (get a hold of your senses – your mind, your emotions, your feelings) and be strong in the L-RD. Don’t be weak after your mourning period is over. G-D will help you come out of your difficulty (SEE 1 Peter 1:13), but you must be willing to let G-D help you, through the power of the H-LY SPIRIT.
If you know someone who is hurting, because of the death of someone they loved, call them and ask them if you can offer them help. Support them emotionally. Go to their house if possible and spend time with them. Be a good friend/neighbor to them, because they might not have anyone else to comfort them in their time of pain and sorrows (SEE Ecclesiastes 7:2-4). Be selfless and assist them. Show them sincere (genuine) love. Not a love coming out of a sense of duty toward them, but love them from the depths of your heart, from the love of CHRIST which is already in you. If they ask you for financial support to help with the funeral costs, help them if you can be of any assistance. If you can’t, it’s okay. Instead, try to help them by finding someone who will be able to help them financially, without asking for the money back in return. If you give any money to them, don’t ask for the money back either, because you are helping them in their most vulnerable, desperate time. Don’t take advantage of them.
Do unto others as you would want others to do to you, the Bible teaches (SEE Luke 6:31; Matthew 7:12). G-D sees your kindness and generosity to them, and G-D will reward you, sometime later in life or in the next life in Heaven with JESUS. Don’t abandon them, don’t leave them hanging and desperate and making foolish decisions for themselves. Help them in the love of CHRIST by being a good Christian friend to them, a good Christian brother or as a good Christian sister.
Death is a difficult time in one’s life. Death will arrive, one day or another, one way or another, and there is no one on earth who can stop it. There is no cure for it, no scientist can make you live forever. There is no one who lives forever except G-D.
We will live with JESUS forever in Heaven. This is the promise of G-D, to everyone who puts their faith in JESUS CHRIST. One day, we will all pass on from this earth to eternity in Heaven with JESUS, the Bible teaches us. Death is the natural pathway of life, for we have all sinned and fallen short of G-Ds glory, and for that, we all must die. The wages of sin (the reward, the compensation for all the sins we’ve ever committed against G-D and against our fellow neighbors) is death, the Bible teaches us (SEE Romans 8:23; Romans 6:23). Therefore, all must die. No one can escape it. No one can stop it. Let’s accept it for what it is and move on in life, seeking better days ahead by G-Ds great love, grace and mercy for us.
Come, let us learn to love each other and do good to each other. Let us be patient with each other, and serve each other in the love of CHRIST JESUS, our Savior, our L-RD, our KING. Let us not have any form or hatred, resentment, or bitterness toward one another. Life is passing by very fast. And one day soon enough, sometime in the future, you and I will die (unless raptured to be with JESUS in Heaven).
Time is short. So, let us make good use of it and live in love with each other and be a blessing to each other, helping each other, showing mercy and kindness to those around us and not reacting with anger or rage toward our neighbors. Don’t be rude to others, especially to those whom you love and are near to you. Always try to be polite, be courteous. Be gentle as a dove the Bible teaches us, so don’t be short tempered and harsh with your words, thoughts and actions, your behavior. For we are all accountable for all our actions here on earth, good or evil, the Bible teaches. Therefore, do your best for others as far as it depends on you, and do it all to bring glory to G-D in Heaven above, and not for anyone else. Your rewards await you in Heaven, even if no one appreciates or thanks you for you works done here on earth. G-D sees it all and He will reward you accordingly, for all the good you’ve done for His glory. G-D will reward you for all the works you’ve done in His Name, performed in humility, done in the love of G-D to those around you (SEE Matthew 25:34-40).
Don’t just lookout for your own needs and comforts, don’t be selfish. Don’t create enemies for yourself. Don’t create enemies in your mind. Love others just as much as CHRIST has loved you; forgive others just as much as CHRIST has forgiven you. Help those in need, don’t abandon them. Stay by them and help them and your reward from G-D will be great in Heaven. Don’t quit on them and run away and later regret it, after their death, thinking you should have done more for them while they lived. It would be too late by then. You would have missed the opportunity to do good to them by then, and your guilt and remorse will hurt you.
Don’t miss out on the opportunities G-D presents, to love each other deeply, sincerely, with all your heart, soul, strength and mind every day, all the days of your life, just as JESUS loves you now. It takes serious effort on your part. So do it with all your might and G-D will help you and bless you for it. Loving others in such manner will make you be like JESUS more and more, every day. Don’t have regrets in life later on, thinking, you never did enough for someone before they died, when you could have. You have the chance right now to do so much for them, while they are still alive! Don’t waste your opportunities to show love to others!
Be selfless and learn to love others, for the glory of G-D.
G-D bless you and keep you and watch over you, in your going and coming, now and always, Amen.
SEE song 1: “Thank You JESUS” – by Hillsong Worship – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Hrs9xnhaQ].
SEE song 2: “There is none like You” – by Lenny LeBlanc – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnhUh2tt97Q].
