Scripture to Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Most of us have had a friend, family member, neighbor, or someone close to us die. When death comes, it is never easy. Though we know that death is going to occur, it still is difficult when someone is called home by our Lord. God gives us His Word and He gives us His Holy Spirit so we, as believers, experience His peace, comfort, and support as we mourn the loss we experience through death. God also gives us His Holy Spirit and His Word so we can comfort others when they experience the loss of someone close to them. As believers, we know our hope is in Christ and Christ alone. We also know that God has called us to comfort one another when someone is suffering loss through death, as He says in 1 Thessalonians 4:18. After reading verse 18, we need to remember; when we see a “therefore” in the Bible, we need to ask, “What’s the ‘therefore’ there for?” We know God’s Truth, given to us in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, reveals to us where all the saints are who have been called home. God also reminds us that if we’re still here when our Lord Jesus Christ returns that we will be caught up with all of the saints who are already with our Lord. So, God wants us to know that the death of the physical body is nothing more than leaving one temporary mode of transportation to inherit an eternal mode of transportation that is perfect, complete, and lacking in nothing.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about comforting others in times of loss?
2. Who can you comfort this week with God’s eternal Truth?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!