Psalm 116:15: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
I ministered from this verse at the memorial service for Chip this week. This verse has been a blessing to me when a Christian dies and goes to be with the Lord. This verse did not say it was precious to us, but to the Lord. In our sight, death is a time for grieving and sorrow. Rightfully so. God commanded Israel to take time to grieve for the death of Moses. And throughout the Word we are given permission to mourn for the absence, the hole that will exist, when our friends and loved ones are gone. But we are also told not to grieve as those who have no hope. Our grieving only lasts for a short time before it is overtaken by the eternal joy inside of us. Our hope is in Jesus and in the fact that we will see the person again.
The death of a saint is precious in the sight of the Lord. We stand on one side of the door and see an exit. God stands on the other side of the door and sees an entrance. Our friends exited this life and entered eternity. From God’s side, it was a glorious event. True success in the Christian life comes from looking at our lives from God’s viewpoint, not ours. We are to set our affection (minds) on things above and not on things of the earth. The mind of Christ, which should guide us daily, tells us that the person is far better off in God’s presence than they ever were on earth. We often ask, “Why would that person want to leave us?” We should be asking, “Why would they ever want to come back?”
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