Blessed Assurance
I had the opportunity to talk with a gentleman whose wife had dies, he shared with me that a friend said to him, "I am sorry you lost your wife." He replied, "oh, I have not lost her; I know exactly where she is!"
To you this may appear like a rather bold or even flippant assertion. With so many after-death theories, one might wonder hos we can be really sure where our loved ones go after death, let alone where we ourselves will wind up.
Confidence is appropriate for followers of Jesus Christ. We have the assurance from God's Word that when we die we will instantly be with the Lord. Thankfully, this is more than just wishful thinking. It is grounded in the historic reality of Jesus, who came and died to erase our penalty for sin so that we could receive eternal life. He than proved that there was life after death by exiting His grave and ascending into heaven where, as He promised, He is preparing a place for us.
We should be happy! Since the benefits of this reality are out of this world, we can boldly say with Paul that "we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with Lord." The followers of Jesus, death means heaven, happiness, and Him.