Dead, but Alive

Read: John 5:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-10

Stretching sleepily, Camden wondered why he had a strange, empty feeling in his stomach. Then it all came back to him. He glanced over at the empty bed on the other side of the room. It really was true—his brother Aaron was gone. It had been almost a month since Aaron had left for school in the morning and had not come back. Tears rolled down Camden’s cheeks as he remembered. There was an accident, and Aaron had been killed.

The door to Camden’s room opened and Mom came in. “Morning, honey. I see you’re already awake.” Noticing his tears, she sat beside him on the bed. “You’re thinking of Aaron, aren’t you? Dad and I miss him too.” Mom sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Death is a sad thing, and it hurts to lose someone we love. But we know we’ll see Aaron again someday.”

“But Mom, how do you know?” asked Camden.

“I know because Aaron trusted Jesus as his Savior,” Mom answered. “The Bible says that those who trust in Jesus go to be with Him when they die.”

“But…” Camden stifled a sob. “But he was right there in the casket! And then he was put in the ground at the cemetery.” Camden covered his face with his hands.

Mom leaned over and gave Camden a hug. “Aaron’s body is in the grave, but his soul is with Jesus,” she said.

“His soul?” Camden looked at his hands. “So my hands and feet, and my head and ears and eyes—they’re not really me?”

“Of course they’re you!” said Mom. “Just like your soul is. But because we live in a sinful world, our bodies die. When that happens, our souls go to be with Jesus. But one day, when He returns to earth and makes everything new, He will bring our bodies back to life. Then our souls will be reunited with our resurrected bodies—and they’ll be free of sin and won’t ever get sick or die again!”

Camden wiped his eyes. “I still wish I could see Aaron every day.”

Mom squeezed Camden’s shoulder. “I know. And you will. Because we know Jesus, we can look forward to seeing Aaron again someday. Then we’ll all be together forever with Jesus!”

–A. W. Smith

How about you? Did you know that, if you’re a Christian, your soul will go to be with Jesus after your body dies? Nothing can separate Him from those He’s saved—not even death. But it doesn’t end there! One day He’ll bring your body back to life, and you and every other Christian will live with Him forever! If you’re not a Christian, trust in Jesus today so you can look forward to eternal life with Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Bodies die, but souls don’t