Joyful Mourning

Verse of the day: Deuteronomy 14:1-2 “You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead. 2 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

One of the most painful things we can experience is the loss of someone we love. This is especially true for those we know who have chosen to reject Jesus, because we know that without Christ their end is eternal condemnation. With that said, are we doing all we can to share Christ with family, friends, and loved ones? Will our mourning be even more bitter knowing that we passed up opportunities to share Jesus with those we loved because we were too busy, or too afraid they would reject us and not talk to us anymore? On the other hand, if we have done all we can, and they choose to reject the Gospel message, what else is there for us to do other than pray and trust the God is in control? What if the person who dies is a born again believer? The bottom line is that whether the person who passes is a Christian or not, we always have hope. Therefore, we are not to mourn as those who have no hope. God instructed Israel not to mourn for their dead in the same fashion that the idolaters and unbelievers mourned. They were not to follow superstitious and pagan rituals in mourning or honoring their dead. Instead, they were to mourn as those who belong to the Lord. This does not mean that they could not weep for those who died. However, they were not to mourn in such a way that their sorrow led them to do things that were clearly prohibited by God. I have seen many Christians who have allowed the sorrow of their loss override what they believed about God, and even change their theology regarding death and eternal life. Many turned away from the Lord, cursed Him, and allowed their sorrow to turn them to hopelessness and send a message to the unsaved world that there is no real hope in Christ. This is not what we want to portray as people who proclaim that there is eternal life and hope in Jesus. In those moments when we must face the fact that a loved one has died without Christ, we must find comfort in knowing that the Lord is close to those who are brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Revelation 21:4 promises, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Psalm 147:3 tells us, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” When we suffer such great loss, we will find true healing in Christ alone. For those of us who have family, friends, or loved ones, who also know the Lord, our separation is temporary. We find great comfort in knowing that we will be reunited with those we love, who also know Jesus as Savior. The Apostle Paul reminded the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 when he wrote, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” Life on earth does not last as long as we think it does, and death can visit us at any moment, as we are not guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:13-15). An opportunity missed today to share Jesus with someone we know and love may not come our way again. Therefore, we must do all that we can to live a life that honors God so that our message is not hypocritical, and always be ready to share Christ with others. Ultimately, if we are still here to witness the death of someone we love, whom we have led to Christ, it can be a celebration (joyful mourning) of their “home-going” with full assurance that we will meet again.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).