As a child I dealt with unpleasant happenings in my schedule, whether it was a big test at school or a dentist appointment, by looking forward to something enjoyable. I thought this was my own coping technique.
Then I read through the last conversation Jesus had with His disciples just a few hours before His arrest and crucifixion. His words were not only about His coming suffering and death but also about the resurrection life. Jesus is teaching His disciples about the eternal life that awaits Him after the unpleasantness of death has passed. He looks forward to His glorious resurrection.We all cope with death. Whether we are facing our own mortality or the loss of loved ones, death is agonizing.
But Christ helps us cope with death by offering us the same hope He offered His disciples when He said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). When we focus on Christ’s risen life and His eternal life in the kingdom of God, we no longer need to dread the unpleasantness of death; instead, we can focus on the wondrous, glorious eternal kingdom of God offered to us through faith in Jesus Christ.
Christ came into the world so He could die on the cross to save us from sin and death. Then through the power of the Holy Spirit He was raised to life, so that in Him we might also have life. Death has been overcome by life. Now that is worth thinking about.
Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.
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Check Out Denise’s Books!
Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD
Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASB
Life Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2