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Dealing With Death
By Jerry England
I must admit the subject of death is not one that I am
very comfortable with. My family has dealt with much
death over the course of the past few years. First there
was the death of my best friend's brother, a year later,
almost to the day, my best friend died. Then there was
the death of several old co-workers. After this we dealt
with the death of my thirty-two year old nephew, my
wife's mother, and then my wife's best friend. Death is
not easy to deal with, but it is something that every
one of has to deal with sooner or later. It seems the
older we get, the more we notice, that death is all
around us. How do we deal with death? Another good
question might be why do we have to deal with death?
The answer to why we have to deal with death is a simple
one. Sin. The Bible says because of Adam's sin, death
came upon everyone. Romans 5:12 speaks of the result of
Adam's sin, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned: Because of the sin of
disobedience, death was passed onto everyone of us. If
you notice it said death was not in the world until sin
entered the picture, sin entered into the world, and
death by sin. This tells me that if sin had not entered
into the world, there would have been no death. Another
thing to think about is, when God makes something, it is
made perfect. Though man was made perfect, man also
chose to become imperfect by disobeying God. Adam had
one simple commandment, But of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 2:17. I know some have said this verse meant
that Adam would die the very same day, but that is not
what God is implying here at all. What is implied here,
is that in the day Adam becomes disobedient, death would
then come into the world. So in one aspect we can blame
Adam for death, but we also have to remember who tempted
Eve in the first place. If satan had never thought
himself to be higher than God none of this would have
happened. Again, sin is the reason we have death.
How do we deal with death, this question is not as
simple to answer. We deal with death by drawing closer
to the Lord. But each individual person does this in
their own way. What about those that don't know the Lord
though, how do they deal with it? One way most of the
lost do not want to deal with death is by hearing about
heaven and hell. This will generally drive the lost even
further away from God. What we as Christians must do in
this case is give the person time to morn before we talk
to them about Jesus. Does death open this door, many
times yes, and many times it does not. This is where we
have to use the discernment of the Holy Spirit as to
when to speak, and when not to speak to them about Jesus
and heaven. The best way I know of to deal with the lost
in this situation is to just be there for them and
listen. Let them know that you're there for them, if
they need to talk. Simply be their friend during this
time.
As for Christians dealing with deal, I would have to say
about the same thing. Just be there for them. Tell them
you're there for them when they need you. With
Christians however, you can give them the comfort of the
scriptures. We must again though use the discerning
power of the Holy Spirit to know what and when to say
anything. I know from my own experiences of dealing
death, that the best medicine, aside from the Lord, was
just someone to be there with me and give me a shoulder
to lean on.
Everyone deals with death differently and in their own
way. The best way to help someone dealing with the death
of a loved one or a friend is to just be there for them
when they need you. Give them the reminder that you are
here to listen and do whatever you can to help. Most of
the time words are just words to the saved and the lost
during this time. Be patient and the Lord will give you
the right words at the right time.
Psalm 23A
Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he
leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my
soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD for ever.
I am an evangelist from North Carolina preaching to the
lost as well as the saved. My goal in life is to show
others the amazing love of God and to help show his
existence. You can visit us at our web site at [http://evangelistjerryengland.com/] |
