(The following is the December 20 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Revelation 14 and pay close attention to verse 13.)

Family and friends typically gather when loved ones die to remember and honor them. We share stories and photos of the person’s life. Those eulogizing the deceased say positive things about them and recount their contributions and admirable qualities. If the person had no religious beliefs, thoughts of the afterlife might be absent from public remarks to avoid awkwardness and claims contrary to the deceased’s beliefs.

However, funeral and memorial services for Christians should be genuine celebrations that unapologetically proclaim every believer’s hope for eternal life. When celebrating a Christian’s life, we need not avoid what happens after death. We have good news to share, and when better to share our confidence in biblical promises than when death reminds us of our mortality?

Jesus promised the penitent thief on the cross that they would be together that day in paradise (Luke 23:43). Likewise, all God’s children will close their eyes one final time in this mortal life and immediately be with the Lord in the next. We will gaze upon Jesus and begin enjoying eternity with him. There is an intermediate state between this mortal life and when Jesus ushers in his eternal kingdom and gives his followers glorified bodies. Still, that state is a conscious presence with the Lord nonetheless.

We mourn when we lose loved ones because we’d rather have them present. But when we consider what is best for them rather than ourselves, we can affirm Revelation 14:13: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

Next Step:
What words of Christian hope and encouragement would you like to leave behind for those who mourn your loss? Consider writing them down and leaving them with others who can fulfill your wishes.