Contemplating Heaven is where my heart is at right now. In this excerpt from my novel Deception, I picture one of the characters entering Heaven.

Today’s blog is excerpted from my book We Shall See God. It’s the first of 50 entries drawn from Charles Spurgeon’s sermons on Heaven, and it’s entitled “Dying Is But Going Home.” It seems fitting to share right now.

A reader recently wrote us to ask, “In your book you state that when a Christian dies part goes to the grave and part goes to the feet of Jesus Christ. Where can I find that in the Bible?”

Jesus gives us reminders of His presence and peace when we are experiencing grief. He is our ultimate comfort, and He must be our focus and source of strength. 

I recently wrote this to a dying friend, but I’m replacing her name with “dying believer.” The reality is, I am dying and every person reading this is too. Perhaps you have reason to believe that death will come very soon. Or perhaps you have a loved one or friend who is close to death and would benefit from the Scripture and quotes I share. I hope these words will encourage your heart and help you fix your eyes on Jesus.

I love these perspectives from Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle (1816–1900) on preparing for death by living well. With every passing year, each of us have more precious family and friends who have gone to be with Christ. As we look forward to the day when we too will see Jesus face to face, may we lean into and serve Him like never before. 

Have you and your family talked about the certainty of your deaths, and how that should impact your lives now? Not talking about death won’t postpone it a moment. Talking about death won’t bring it a moment sooner. But it will give us opportunity to be better prepared when it comes.

أما إن كنتَ قد قبلتَ بالفعل دعوة الله للخلاص، فهو سيخلصك من الألم الأبدي، بل واليوم أيضًا سيعطيك عربونًا مُبهجًا من الحياة في محضره.

Today’s guest post is by former EPM staff member Shauna Hernandez. I so appreciate the thoughts she shares about saying goodbye just a few weeks ago to Karen Coleman, our beloved coworker and friend.