Learning to Die

There was a moment in my journey of faith that I realized that following Jesus meant death. In that moment, I realized that, “death is the way, death is the truth and death is the light.” One has to die in order to experience the fullness of Jesus. On occasion, I am vividly reminded of what the consequences of following Jesus can be. When I saw the brutal beheadings of the Coptic Christians in Libya, I was reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21, “…to live is Christ and to die is gain.” As a follower of Jesus, I believe that in death is life. I thank God for the beauty of the sacrifice of these 21 Coptic Christians and know that they are now dwelling in the eternal peace of God. I simply don’t believe in death without resurrection. I look forward to meeting these saints in glory one day. I also look forward to meeting their murderers. If ISIS or anyone else ever asks for my head because of my faith, I hope that I will remember that Jesus loves my murderer as much as Jesus loves me. On that day, I hope that I will have the courage of these Coptic Christians and that Jesus will be the last name on my tongue.

Amen.