-Strength for Today- A Message of Hope and Comfort for the Greiving.” - John 11:25-26.

    Losing a loved is quite a shock. That lost “castes a dense dark shadow, where “their presence dawned” Suddenly, “time appears to freeze,” and “nothing seems to matter anymore.” Death is “an inherited episode,” that none of us can accustom ourselves too. 

When someone you love “passes through the door of life,” they immediately "opens the door to their eternal destined pace.” And, being the bereaved, you’re standing “there at the banks of that chilly Jordan River,” in the presence of “the sunset of their departure,” grieving. And their “memory,” and the placement of “their memory,” becomes “a treasure.” 

  Those who’ve never “passed through such an experience,” can't’ understand “the agony,” and “the sheer confusion,” that the is “experiencing deep inside their souls.” Even those who come to offer condolences, “can’t personalize what the bereaved is going through.” Only the bereaved, “as it were when Lazarus died” can truly know “what it means to grieve.” 

But for those who’re grieving, eventually “emotions,” and “thoughts should “begin to stabilize at some point.” It’s here that one should “begin to look at the incident from a reality standpoint.” This is where one's beliefs come into place. But only from the Word of God can you find “inspirational comfort.” when life “seems to stand still,” you need to ask yourself this pertinent question: "What do I believe regarding death?" Today, if you’re in a similar situation, “what I’m sharing with you will carry meaning, for those who believe in the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ.” when He said to Martha: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth, and believeth in Me shall never die. Believeth thou this?  -John 11:25-26. 

But if you’re just an “emotional religious mourners,” these words don’t mean a thing. That's why “it's important to place your faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because death is inevitable. Hebrews 9:27 says: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” We indeed are on a journey. How and “whom we walk with on this journey is critically importance.” Romans 14:8 says: “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. He’s “the source of our hope in this life.” It’s encouraging to note that “we remain the Lord's, whether in life or death!” 

This world is but a pale shadow of the real world, but it isn't our eternal home. But “in spite of its shadowing disguise,” in Christ Jesus we have before us “words of comfort and hope.” Yes “It takes time to work through grief,” “this I know,” but we shouldn’t go on like those who’re “ignorant” and are “without hope,” as the Bible teaches. 

The Lord said to the children of Israel: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that thou and thy seed may live,” (Deuteronomy 30:19), the Apostle Paul echoed the prophet Isaiah when he said: “ I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” - 2 Corinthians 6:2. 

I close this message with two questions for you: 

1. Where do you prefer to live now and beyond? 
2. Do you prefer to live for all of eternity, “in the presence of the Lord,” or in the company “of that old devil,” in the Lake of fire? 

Author: Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD