Death, where is your victory?

I am a Workplace Chaplain. I spend a great deal of time in Texas nursing homes as I was hired to minister to the employees of one particular company. Over the past 1 1/2 years, I’ve had more encounters with death as part of my duties than I ever imagined myself having; whether it’s a dying resident and their surviving family or an employee who passes away and the subsequent consoling of their grieving coworkers. We lost a wonderful man to a heart attack in Grand Saline late last week; a man who impacted the lives of many and will be surely missed.

Now, I do NOT claim to have all the answers where death is concerned. Hardly. I pray that the following verses and explanations will resonate with you and that, if you know anyone who is suffering a loss, you will kindly pass this along to them.

God designed us as relational beings. Therefore, the loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult things we will ever encounter. We say well-intended things like “He’s in a better place” or “God needed another flower in His garden” but, truth is, nothing that can be said can erase the pain of losing someone close to us. Sure, even those Jesus raised from the dead during His earthly ministry ALL eventually died. Yet, we often struggle with the timing, the conditions, the circumstances and the reason behind death as it’s not always that apparent.

Everybody dies…but why?

Great question. Before we address that one, here’s another: why did God create humans in the first place? Scripture tells us that we were created with the capacity to love one another as well as to love God Himself. Jesus said that the most important commandment was to “love the Lord your God” (Matt 22:37 and Deut 6:5) and that the second most important commandment was to “love your neighbor,”(Matt 22:39). In doing these things, we fulfill our purpose for our lives and glorify God, (Matt 5:16). The capacity for love comes directly from God whom the Bible says is the embodiment of love (Ps 13:5; Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:16). Although the ability to love and be loved is a source of great joy, when the object of that love passes away, it comes with great pain.

The love of God is boundless. Did you ever notice that God’s first commandment was to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” while Jesus’ final commandment was “Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” In both cases, we were being instructed to “go and make more just like you!” God is a “family man.” He wanted a large number of people whom He could love.

Jesus explained this ultimate goal of God in the parable of the banquet: “A certain man [representing God] was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.’” (Luke 14:16-23)

God LOVES having a full house! As a grandfather who loves wrestling on the floor with my grandchildren, nothing pleases me like having a house full of family. God is no different. The Father wants a relationship with every one of us billions of created human beings (Rev 7:9). Death is the only means by which the spirit of a person can enter into the presence of God (1 Cor 15:50). In fact, though we grieve our loss, God rejoices in the death of those who love Him (Psalm 116:15) since they can enter directly into His presence at that time. What a thrilling coming home party He must have in store upon each deceased person’s arrival into His presece!

Why do some die “too soon”?

The early, untimely death of loved ones is difficult to understand emotionally, since we have come to expect that everybody lives at least 70 years. The answer is likely to be different for different individuals. The Bible does give some reason for early death. We are told that the early death of the righteous is often done to save them from evil that would have been inflicted on them by the unrighteous. Isaiah 57:1-2 reads, “”The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

Logically speaking, the early death of an unrighteous person spares the world from further evil that he/she might inflict upon it and spares that unrighteous one from even more punishment that he would have to suffer as a result of those ungodly actions.

Will we see our loved ones again?

Yes, and it will be a joyous time, without the problems of having to deal with the nastiness of people that we experience during this worldly existence. I pray that you will take comfort in the promise of God that He will comfort and console you during your time of grief. Matthew 5:4 promises, “God blesses those who mourn,for they will be comforted.”

The resurrection is proof that Jesus gave us victory over death and the grave (Rev 1:18). The apsotle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church on this matter, “…when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

When death comes into your life, my word of advice is this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight,” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Life on planet Earth is simply not “it” for us, my friends. James 4:14 (AMP) describes life in these terms: “What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].” I’m reminded of a song by a group called “Kansas” which was popular when I graduated high school. It was called “Dust in the wind.” (Lyrics below)

We are spiritual beings enduring an earthly experience for but a brief moment in time.

Yes, there’s more to life than soldiering along in these “earth suits.” MUCH more!

DUST IN THE WIND by Kansas

I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind, ohh

Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
The wind

PLEASE FORWARD!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo