Family Reunion

Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Devotional:

I remember when my grandmother died.  At the funeral the pastor made a comment that has stuck with me ever since.  When a loved one dies we tend to think we have somehow lost them.  They are gone and we must continue on without them.  The pastor stated, “When someone dies we haven’t lost them.  We know exactly where they are.  They are waiting for us to join them.”  You see for anyone who is a believer in Christ isn’t lost to us.  They are in heaven waiting for us to join them.  They are for now and evermore with Christ.

Jesus will always be with us.  He too is waiting for that day when we will join them in heaven.  It was still hard when my grandmother passed.  But his words somehow were a comfort.  What he said gave a gentle reminder that we will be reunited someday with those that have gone before us.  When someone dies, they are not lost to us.  Instead we are just temporarily saying goodbye.  We know where they are.  When the time is right we will join them.  Upon the day of Christ’s return there will be a huge family reunion.  We will all celebrate.  Each and every one of us will be reunited with loved ones.  Most of all we will be united with Christ forevermore in heaven…