I really wish people would stop using phrases like this. It portrays God to be this selfish figure that causes death only for his personal gain. That is just not a true representation of who God is and what he is all about.

I’m not a theological scholar, so I can’t fully explain why God allows death to happen in our lives. All I know is that death is part of our lives here on Earth. However, I do know this. We do not die simply because we are so special that God can not stand us being on Earth for another day and he absolutely must bring us to heaven. We do not die just because God has some great desire to “hang” with us. He can “hang” and be with us while we are on Earth. All we need to do is let him in.

God gives us all free will. While he has intended plans for our lives, we sometimes do things to mess those plans up. So when we or other people make poor decisions, premature death is a possible occurrence. Overdosing on drugs, drunk driving, not eating healthy foods, smoking, and being at the wrong place with the wrong people are all things that could cause us to “go before our time.”

So, when someone takes a gun and goes on a killing spree, I don’t think it is because God had a couple of vacant positions in heaven that we wanted to fill. It is because someone made a horrendous decision.

Some things in our lives are God made while others are man made. We should all try to do a better job of making the distinction between the two. We want people to come to know and love God. When we misrepresent Him, we aren’t doing Him any favors.

These thoughts are just my opinion. Let me know what you think.

When someone dies we can all speculate whether they will go to heaven or hell. I usually don’t spend much time doing that. There isn’t anything any of us can do about it now. My heart usually goes out to the family of the deceased. Someone has just lost their mother, father, brother, sister or friend. After such a loss, getting on with life can be difficult no matter how much money the family has.

After the initial shock of death, the family will likely need some support on some level. As we all know, prayer always works. Pray continually that they Lord will give family and friend comfort during this tough time. Here  some other ways you can help when someone you know experiences the loss of a loved one.

Offer to make meals
I know people usually take food over the families house when someone dies. Here is another spin on that. You could gather up people from from your congregation and provide the family with meals over the course of 2-3 weeks. All you need to do is develop a schedule and a different person can bring the family a meal every other day.

Offer to help with housework
It is amazing how housework piles up during times of bereavement. This is your opportunity to offer to help cut grass, do laundry or any other chores that need to be done around the house.

Spend some time with the children
Consider taking the children out for a good time. They have just lost their mother or father. I’m sure the surviving parent could use a little break. A day of fun and activities could go a long way in helping the grieving process.

Stay in contact
When the death initially happens there will be tons of people around to provide help and support. Will those same people be around a month or even a week later? That is when you could be a big help. Follow-up days, weeks and months after the death. A listening ear or a shoulder to cry on is always helpful.

This is just a starting point. You can always ask what the person needs. I believe God will honor you for having a willing heart to help others. Remember, prayer works too!