Friday; July 5

What are your beliefs about death? There are all kinds of thoughts out there about dealing with death, but there are only about two about how our death impacts our existence. One perspective is that when we die, we are dead. Done … finished … kaput. There is nothing more. The second idea is that there is an afterlife that begins when we die on earth. Now, to deal with the bare basics, those who believe in a life after death have to come to an understanding of what happens to us – will everyone be rewarded … will everyone be punished or will there be a judgement that leads to an eternal existence? Again, it is easy to get in the weeds on some of the nuances of eternal reward and punishment, but at the heart of the discussion is we either believe in cessation of life at death or we believe that there is an afterlife.

So, which do you believe? If you don’t believe in an afterlife, it can be tempting not to really worry too much about the consequences of our actions. Oh, I guess there is some intrinsic value in being a good person; but in the end, does it really make all that much difference in how we live? However, if we do believe in life after death, we are compelled to make good choices – not just to be good people, but also because our eternity is riding on it. If you do believe in an afterlife and are looking for a way to seek out an eternal reward, I encourage you to study the Bible, do good to others and involve yourselves with like-minded people. No, we can’t be good enough to earn salvation, but how we live will indicate to our Lord and our neighbors how we view life – not just the one on earth, but the one in eternity as well.

Think About It!

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