God of the Living and not the Dead

 

John Struzzo – Prayer Center Assistant Coach/Recruiter, cbn.com

I am so glad that Jesus tells us:

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:38 (NIV).

This verse brings comfort to me knowing that all of us who live and die in Christ are alive forevermore with Him. This has special meaning to me since my mom died about a year-and-a-half ago from COVID-19. She was a woman of great faith and believed in Jesus. She is not dead but is truly alive with Christ.

Soon after my mom’s passing, my dad also passed away. Yet, he is not dead; he asked Jesus into his life and to forgive him for his sins. I had the privilege of leading my dad to Christ many years before his passing, and he is also alive with Christ.

I believe the Lord has given me a picture of them together with the greatest smiles you can imagine. They are in the care of the Lord Himself—safe in His hands. I look forward to the day I will see them again.

I am so thankful to Jesus for His giving my mom and dad eternal life. This eternal life is made absolutely clear in this very familiar verse:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I would not want to be separated for one second from Jesus, and I can’t even imagine life without a relationship with Him. Jesus is clear that we have the freedom to accept or reject Him—in both life and death:

“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

My heart’s desire and prayer for all is that we believe that Jesus is the one He claims to be, and so we will not die our sins. Jesus says that our new birth is a spiritual birth. By believing in Jesus who is the Savior of the world, we are born again. The Holy Spirit Himself guarantees our:

Inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:14.