(This devotion was first posted in April of 2021)

I went to Plano this morning to attend the funeral of Pastor Gerry Nichols. He served in Garland while my dad was serving a church in North Dallas. In his retirement, he served the vacancy at Water’s Edge, Frisco, which was in my circuit, and I got to know him better. He once shared that there was another Pastor Gerry Nichols in our church body who was an in-demand speaker for conferences and conventions. Every now and then he would get a phone call asking if he would be willing to speak at a conference. His reply was, “I’d be happy to do so, but I don’t think I’m the Gerry Nichols you want.” He got a good laugh out of that. I thought of that story this morning. I can just imagine that when He got to heaven, the Savior that he believed in and whom he had shared so faithfully welcomed him and assured him that he was indeed the Gerry Nichols he wanted. There was no case of mistaken identity.

Before I went to the funeral, I was also able to spend some time with my mom. A few weeks back I had asked her if she had thought about her funeral service, and she said she had not. This morning while I was drinking coffee with her, she brought it up. She had a list of hymns and Bible verses and her choice of minister all ready for me. We wrote it down and put it in the front of her Bible. While her death does not appear to be imminent – in fact she is doing remarkably well – it is good to know her wishes.

This is not a morbid topic. We sometimes shy away from it, but this is what our Christian faith is all about.  We have a confidence that the world does not have. We know the certain promises of our God. Death is an enemy, and it causes pain and sorrow and grief for those of us still on this side of heaven. But for those who die with faith in Jesus, it is a victory. Paul wrote about that in 1 Corinthians 15:

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  

I pray this is your hope and confidence as well.

(Update: mom is still doing well and with us here on this side of heaven!)