Very few people will sacrifice their life to please God (Matthew 5:13-14). After all, would you have met the challenge Noah did in entering the ark? We assume he and his family had no trouble in leaving behind their friends, but we can know they did, since God said human nature in the same in every generation (Ecclesiates 1:9-11). We don't enjoy leaving our loved ones, so why would Noah be different? He forsook the world for God when he entered the ark.
I believe we can see Noah's faith today in some Christians. They may not have the same obstacles he had, but they do imitate his faith in confronting death. What wil happen after this life? How will I make it without those I love and what will become of them? Certainly Noah had these fears because everyone is bothered when someone sspecial dies. Whether we feel death's presence in a worldwide flood or in a hospital room, the fear of death is the same: what will happen next and can I endure it?
I admire those who approach death with a faith in God. They don"t know what will happnen next, but they know they can endure it because Jesus offers them a better life beyond death (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This blessed assurance compels them to see the beauty in death. Death is more than losing a temporal body; it's an avenue to God (2 Corinthians 5:2-4). Without death, we wouldn't have life. Without life, we wouldn't have God. Without God, what else matters?
One of the greatest blessing I have seen among Christians was their faith at the hour of death. Whether it was their own or the death of a loved one, they knew there was hope after this life and that God would help them overcome their fears (Hebrews 2:14-15). Thank God for examples of faith. But, more importantly, thank God for giving us a foundation to build our faith upon. Without Christ's resurrection we would have no hope (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
If God is waiting for us on the other side of death, why should we dread the day we or our fellow Christians die? Death does hurt (John 11:35). But, in the end it opens a door to God. Behold, to die is gain!
~In Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 1/17/99.