Everyone will experience a loved one’s death.
In my life, I have experienced a few funerals for people close to me. My father’s father passed away two years ago. My grandpa had a painful and slow death from Alzheimer’s and skin cancer. Even though we knew his death was coming, the news of his passing was hard, especially for my father. Thankfully, my grandfather knew the Lord.
However, several of my family members do not know the Lord. Countless people who deny the Lord worry about death and hold many regrets. Nonbelievers think, What will happen when I die, or, Will I ever see my dead family members again? As Christians, we have hope our relatives who have accepted Jesus will be in heaven with us.
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. I think Paul wrote this verse because it comforts believers whose Christian relatives have died. The verse is also a wake-up call for others.
While we are alive, we must show the love of Jesus to those who need His love. Countless believers are unaware some of their relatives are not following the Lord. No believer wants to arrive at the doorsteps of heaven and have the Father ask, “What have you done for the kingdom of God?” No one wants to have the guilt of not knowing if a family member is going to heaven.
Share your faith with an unbelieving family member. Even if they reject the invitation to become a believer, you have planted a seed in their life that may one day produce fruit.
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Gabriel Roberts is a fifteen-year-old from Somonauk, IL. He is a freshman at Parkview Christian Academy in Yorkville, Illinois. In his free time, he likes to read, drink coffee, and spend time with his twin brother and his sisters.