Morning Thoughts - by Elder Philip Conley

Morning Thoughts

Psalm 116:15, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

This morning, many people fear death. They are in awful dread of that day when they will press a dying pillow. Some wonder what will happen to them at that time. Others do not want to leave this world for one reason or another. However, the saints of God should never dread death or think that it is something unimaginably hard to cross or go through. Dying can sometimes be difficult due to health circumstances, but death is something that should be welcomed when the time approaches.

The Psalmist declares that death is precious in the sight of the Almighty when in reference to the saints. First of all, what is meant by precious, and then what is meant by death? Something that is precious is something that is prized, priceless, and that is greatly anticipated and LOVED. That is how our Lord looks upon our deaths. It is something that is priceless to Him. So, what is the death? I think that it can reference many types of deaths that we go through. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:3 that we are dead and alive at the same time. What is he talking about? We are alive in Christ and dead to sin. When the quickening power of the Holy Ghost regenerates us, we are from that day forward dead to sin. That does not mean that we will never again sin, but it means that we are dead to the effects of sin and no longer take pleasure in sin the way that we once did. If we live in an ungodly fashion, our souls will be vexed much like Lot's was. So, we are dead to sin, and this is precious in the sight of God. It is precious to Him when He calls one of His from nature's darkness into His marvellous light.

Then, if we put on the new man, we are told that we are also mortifying the deeds of the flesh. (Colossians 3:5) To mortify means to kill. Therefore, we are killing the works of our flesh. It is precious to God when His children lean on Him and walk circumspectly in this present timely world. It is precious to Him when they are found in the worship services lifting up their voices in song, praying without ceasing, and preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is precious to Him when they give an answer to every man that asketh of the reason of the hope that is within them. These are all precious to the Almighty.

However, just as precious as these are, it is also precious to Him when another of the dear saints is called home in the death of the body. It is a precious thing when they can press a dying pillow and say as Elder S.A. Paine did, "Oh how sweet to die!" It is a precious thing for one of the saints to close theirs eyes and awake in His presence at that moment. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Therefore, we should not think that He will be with us in everything but death. Even as you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, He will still be holding your hand. He will lead you all the way home, for He knows the way because He is the Way.

When Christ wept at the tomb of Lazarus, I personally believe that the reason He was weeping was because He was taking Lazarus out of . For four days, Lazarus had been rejoicing in the throne room of God, and Christ knew that He was bringing him down again to this low ground of sin and sorrow. However, to show the Lord's power and do the Father's will, He raised him up from the grave. It is indeed precious to our Lord when we die (in each of these ways). So, when someone asks me, "How do I know the Lord will be with me? I just don't know if he'll give me dying grace. He's never given it to me before." The reason that we have never had dying grace is because we have never needed it yet to this point. However, He has promised that His grace would be sufficient for us. (II Corinthians 12:9) We will have all that we need for any circumstance. Therefore, look at death as something precious, for that is the way that our Lord sees it. We are not leaving our home; rather, we are going to it, and we will forever be satisfied in the presence of our Saviour.

In Hope,

Bro Philip