January 19, 2013
On March 1, 1981, preacher and Bible commentator D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones lay on his deathbed. From 1939 to 1968, he had served as the pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel. Now at the end of his life, Lloyd-Jones had lost the ability to speak. Indicating that he did not want any more prayers for his recovery, he wrote on a piece of paper: “Do not hold me back from glory.”
Because life is precious, it can be hard to let our loved ones go when the time comes for them to depart this earth and go to heaven. And yet God has set a time when He plans to call us home. Psalm 116:15 tells us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
When Paul saw that death was near, he was encouraged by what awaited him in heaven: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).
No matter where Christians are in life’s journey, their ultimate destination is to “be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). This should give us confidence in facing life’s challenges and comfort when other believers leave us for that glorious home Christ has prepared.
All those who believe in God’s Son;
The trials of this life will fade
When we see the Heavenly One. —Sper
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:14-26
