A Month of Thanksgiving~Because Hope Isn't Buried With Our Loved Ones

When a loved one dies, our life's foundation is exposed. Is our faith, our life, built on Jesus, or was it built on the one who's no longer here? I witness a precious friend fight for joy in the Lord as she grieves the loss of her son, and I witness others continuing to sink lower in a state of despair, their grief years old, but the defeat coming fresh with each sunrise. One has hope, but the others live as if all hope is gone, something that was buried with their loved ones. They have forgotten who they are in Christ Jesus. They have forgotten that He is their hope!

Here is truth given by a pastor who recently buried his infant son. As I was reading his words, I was reminded of the goodness of God in using the afflictions of others to encourage and strengthen the body of Christ and to bring Him glory!

"The sting of death was sin, but when sin has been fully paid for, there is no more sting. The sting is gone, and now death is swallowed up in victory. Death is still hard. It is like a long journey, like going into the wilderness. But it isn't loss. It isn't the end. It isn't defeat. Now, for all those who know Jesus, death is a great adventure, a new beginning. For when we die, we go down into death armed with the Spirit of the well-beloved Son, the Son back from the dead, who holds the power of unending life. For those who believe in Jesus, though we die, yet we shall live."
~Toby Sumpter

Please read the rest here:
The Gospel of the Well-Beloved Son

Praising God today for the hope we have in Christ Jesus, a hope that keeps us from being swallowed up by our grief, a hope that allows us to rejoice in the midst of great sadness.

With love,
Trisha