Eternal Life

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Philippians 1:21-23 says, “ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.   For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”

     Everyone probably has their own set of acronyms for their job.  On my last job, I soon learned that ADL means “activities for Daily Living” and ROM mean t, “Range of Motion” and that DNR meant  “Do Not Resuscitate.”  I said, “Okay, I am the POC, “Pastor on Call.”  Many of the residents have the DNR on the back of their doors indicating their preference should they be found with no heartbeat.  I had one home health nurse say, “I don’t care if you are blue and have been dead for three hours, with no DNT, I’m going to jump on  you and do CPR.”  Well, both  my wife and I now have our DNR’s on the back of the door in our room.

     Some people are just tired of living and are looking for a way out and don’t care to think about the future.. Perhaps those same people have not thought about the future of what takes place after death.  I know of some who think it is just an absolute destruction of everything that is you including your body and also that personality that you possessed while you were living.  Many can believe what they choose in regard to “after death” theories but that does not make them correct.  As for me, I have chosen the “Biblical” understanding and doct rine in connection with deat h and what occurs afterward.  Job, the oldest text of the Bible, made the declarat ion in chapter 19:25-27, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”  Ecclesiastes 12:7 reminds us that the body, goes back to dust, but the Spirit, goes back to God which gave it.  Then, there are the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Kingdom of Heaven, the Book of Revelation, and John 14:1-6, and First Thessalonians 4 that provide the hope that has been guaranteed by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the grave.  One t thought  that is populare now and I have seen it numerous times is that “There are 4,200 religions in the world, but only one empty tomb.”  When God is finished with me on this earth, He will call me home to glory, so don’t try and resuscitate me to bring me back.  People may look at me and wonder why I would believe such a thing and it is because I choose to believe the Word of God than the writings of men of the world..  I will believe the words of the One Person who was raised to live eternally rather then the thoughts and phony ideas of people with high I Q’s.  So, Praise God today for His  Promises!