Someone suggested David’s words in Psalm 37:4-5 are a good representation of the way God’s children view death. The shepherd king wrote, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”
The Christian’s view of death begins with life. David instructed, “Delight yourself also in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4a). Paul portrayed this when he declared, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The widow willingly gave all she had because of this type of thinking (Luke 21:1-4).
David continued, “Commit your way to the Lord” (Psalm 37:5a). Commitment to the Lord led Dorcas to make all sorts of garments for the widows (Acts 9:36-43). Their tearful display of her works resulted in Peter raising her from the dead. Paul gave up his own life and lived with Christ making the controlling decisions in his daily walk (Galatians 2:20).
The Christian sees death as desirable because of what follows. David said the one who delighted in the Lord would discover that He would give him the desires of his heart (Psalm 37:4b). The apostle to the Gentiles desired to be with the Lord (Philippians 1:23). Living a life fully committed to the Savior resulted in the Lord bringing to pass what Paul trusted Him to do (Psalm 37:5b).
John described Heaven in wonderful terms (Revelation 21:1-6). Paul confidently looked forward to receiving a “crown of righteousness” because he had committed his eternal soul to Christ, living as He directed (2 Timothy 4:6-8; 1:12). He was willing to gladly give up his temporary, physical home to be clothed in an eternal home (2 Corinthians 5:1-4).
God’s children should live their lives for Him. He will reward us with a beautiful home in Heaven when we do.
