Reunited

<p>First Thessalonians 4:13-18 is my favorite passage in the Bible because it gives me hope beyond the grave. It reminds me that my loved ones who have died and were believers in Jesus Christ are not lost. We will be reunited one day—I will meet them after death or at Jesus’s return when He will make all things new, free from sin and death.</p><p>.</p><p>In Acts 17, after preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul had to flee due to persecution. Separated from these new Thessalonian believers, Paul wrote a letter to address certain questions that arose among them during his absence. (We know this letter as 1 Thessalonians.)</p><p>.</p><p>Some members in the church were worried about believers who had died. Paul wrote to assure them that the dead believers were not lost but were with Jesus and would not be left out of His glorious return. Paul also urged the Thessalonians to continue working so as to have their needs met as they awaited Jesus’s return, and to live godly lives pointing to the good news of Jesus as the one true king of the universe who has defeated sin and death through His death and resurrection.</p><p>.</p><p>To the Thessalonians, this passage meant their suffering and persecution were not in vain because, at the end of it all, they would have the joy of meeting and living forever with the One for whose sake they endured. They even had the promise of reunion with loved ones who had died in Christ!</p><p>.</p><p>This passage teaches me the same thing: that the living believers in Jesus Christ and those believers who are dead are separated only for a period of time. We will be reunited—we will all meet Jesus at His return and live with Him forever. • Charity Kiregyera</p><p>.</p><p>• How can the hope of Jesus’s resurrection comfort us as we grieve? Read Mathew 28:20, John 11:35, and Hebrews 4:14-16. How can Jesus’s presence and empathy help us? </p><p>.</p><p>• If you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, who are trusted people you can talk with—such as counselors, pa