Death Feels Final

<p>Death feels so final and real. Death has been on my mind recently because I have a family member who is not in good health. Once someone passes away, we cannot get them back. But, death does not have to be the end.<br><br>Because God sent Jesus to die for us, death doesn’t have to be final. It wasn’t final for Jesus; He rose from the grave! And it doesn’t have to be final for us and those we care about. While we lose our<br>chance to be with someone when they die, if that person has put their trust in Jesus and we have too, we can see them again when Jesus returns and raises us from the dead.<br><br>Death can take someone from living here on earth, but, if they are a Christian, they are still held in God’s love, and He promises to give them new life. Death is in all of our futures (unless Jesus comes back during our lifetime), but we can be prepared for it. We can have a relationship with God through relying on Jesus for salvation, and we can look forward to the day He will raise us to eternal life. We can know that He holds us even in death. And we can share this hope with the people around us.<br><br>Death feels final, but it isn’t. When Jesus returns and raises us from the dead, it will be the start of a new life in restored creation, a life that will last for eternity. • Emily Acker<br><br>• Do you ever feel afraid of dying? Jesus Himself experienced death—both the death of people He loved (like his friend Lazarus, see John 11:1-44) and His own death on the cross. And Jesus overcame death, rising from the grave and securing our resurrection and eternal life with Him when He returns. How could these truths bring you comfort?<br><br>• When you have questions about death, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to? <br><br>And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38 (NLT)</p>