I begin my devotional this morning with this question, do you fear death? Now, I can’t really answer that question for you, but it has been in my experience that the answer is obviously yes! Maybe you do not have an outright fear of death, but you do have some mild concern; we would not be human beings if we did not have at least some sort of awareness, or apprehension about what happens to us after we die.

Being a Christian pastor means that I have the privilege of preaching the certainty of salvation and the certainty of life-everlasting in the presence of God. I may not know what this exactly looks like, being that scripture only gives us brief glimpses of what the kingdom of God resembles, but I do have the blessed assurance of Christ’s promise that there is a place prepared for all of us who call upon his name.

However, part of my ministry has been being at the bedside of many a devout Christian as they breathe their last on this earth, and I have found what is common among 99.9% of them is; even though they have a devout faith in Jesus Christ, they still have apprehension about what lies beyond this world. The question becomes, why do Christians fear death when we have the promise of everlasting life from Jesus Christ?

The answer to this question, in my opinion, is simple. We fear death, because we are human. Think about it in this way, we know more about this world than what lies beyond this world. It is only natural that we would be concerned, or even at the least confused about what lies beyond. It does not make one a bad Christian to be apprehensive about what happens to us after we pass away. We know it will be better than this earthly plane, and we know it will be glorious because we will be in the eternal presence of God. But we don’t know what that looks like! Again, we have glimpses of scripture that tells us about streets of gold, crystal seas, and mansions prepared for each of us. And while these images are comforting and soothing, they are still beyond our mental capacity to understand.

My friends, I have held the hands of many an individual who devoted their lives to the service of Jesus Christ. And many times they asked me for assurance that what was waiting for them on the other side was truly paradise. I can only imagine that this is because we know more about this earth and all of its faults, shortcomings, and also wonders, then we do about heaven or the Kingdom of God. So it is only natural that we be a little bit concerned about what lies in heaven.

“Good Christian friends, rejoice in heart and soul and voice, salvation has come this day.” This old hymns words ring true today as they did when it was written. We rejoice in the presence of Almighty God, and the salvation that comes from Jesus Christ. But I would also call upon you to give yourself some grace. A strong faith does not mean that we still don’t have questions about the divine. Confusion and questions about death are natural within the Christian community and it is not any sign of a lack of faith to be just a little bit curious about what happens when we die. As long as we embrace the truth, that whatever lies beyond this plane is in the wondrous divine presence of God for all those who wish to dwell in the arms of Jesus Christ.

“Fear, not, for I am with you.” This is God’s promise to us. Let us remember the Blessed assurance of Christ. Our death is not the end for those who seek Jesus; it is merely the next step in an eternal life that has been prepared within the kingdom of God. And while we do not know what this looks like, and that may leave us with a little bit of apprehension, we know that it will be glorious perfection, because we will be with our savior.

Remain faithful to the gospel, my friends, and never stop, wondering and asking the hard questions.

Your brother in Christ,

Pastor Mike McVey
First United Methodist Church, Fairfield Texas
ACS Chaplain – U. S. Coast Guard, Station Galveston
Chaplain – Texas Game Warden Service
Email – pastormike@fumcfairfield.org
Cell – 919-935-2513