To die is to be with the Lord. It is not just an idea; it is a reality. —Francis Schaeffer
“She’s with Jesus now. We can have comfort that she’s dancing with Jesus as we speak…” Have you ever heard that at a funeral? Probably. Me too… because as a pastor, I’m probably the one saying it. It’s not that this isn’t true; it’s that it’s not the whole truth. It’s that the timing is wrong. The good news isn’t just that the dead person is now alive with Christ. It’s that our dancing and living in unity with Christ begins long before our physical death.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth… you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. … Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:16-17, 19b-20)
Scripture says I died with Christ 2,000 years ago on a hill outside Jerusalem. As a little boy, that death was applied to me. He then indwelled me by His Spirit, giving me His Life. It’s not an idea or a romanticized notion. It’s a reality. I died, and I’ve been “with the Lord” every moment ever since.
Isn’t that beautiful? Perhaps you’ve never thought of it before—that you don’t have to wait until eternity to live in Christ and Christ in you. Perhaps you thought it was far off in the future—only a reality through death.
But the good news is this: It’s now.
- What God does, He does through you.
- Who God is, He is through you.
This union with the Godhead is mystical, incomprehensible, and beautiful. We have so much to learn, it starts with an open mind.
Indwelling God, I believe that You are in me and live in me. But it’s a reality that’s hard to wrap my mind around. I’m open to learning more. Amen.