Is it a sin to want to die and be with God?

I have read many questions and answers on your page and they helped me a lot! I would like to know if it is wrong to want to go to the Lord and ask God to take you to Him? I am going through a very difficult period now, and all things that happened make me not to desire anything else on this Earth… The only thing I want is to go… Is it wrong? Does it make God upset if I want this? I have lost many people whom I loved and I feel as if I lost the taste for everything. I don’t want anything. Please give me an advice on how I should treat all these things. How should I treat life? How to understand God? Sometimes He seems to be far and quiet!  

It’s not wrong to want to be with God, because everybody who truly loves God and loves His Kingdom wants to be there. And the appostle Paul had the same desire which became stronger while he was in jail and in suffering in Rome. Here is what he wrote to the believers from the city Philipi:

As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again (Philippians 1: 20-26)

The apostle was in chains and he didn’t know the verdict regarding him. He was expecting to be released but he could also be killed. He was ready for any decision, but in this difficult situation he said that he was hard pressed between the two. On one hand, he wanted to move to the Father (this is how he called physical death) and be with Christ, because it is much better than to live on this Earth, even if you don’t live your life at the highest quality. However, Paul was folowing two important principles: 

Christ be glorified through his life and his death

Christ is and must be the motivation and the reason for every Christian’s life. No matter how big our trials are and the losses we have, Christ must be the centre of our lives. If He is our focus, we will want to glorify Him with our lives and with our death as well. I know that the loss of a dear person is a hard trial and a tragedy for everybody, but if a child of God lets this loss take the fist place in his life, he cannot glorify God any more. For the apostle Paul the most important thing was to glorify Christ, more important than his comfort on this Earth and even the Kingdom of God. Thinking of your situation and question, I can assure you that Christ is not glorified in you now. People that know you cannot see Christ and His glory in such a situation. Christ is glorified when you go and tell about His Gospel to other people and serve the holy people in the Church of God according to the spiritual gifts you have received from the Holy Spirit.

Think of other people’s best

The apostle Paul said that he wanted to move to be with Christ, but he understood that it was more important to stay on this Earh to serve tho holy people and accepted it with joy. Look carefully around you and see how many people do not know Christ. They go to perdition if they do not believe in Him and if they do not repent and enter the New Covenant. But how will they know if nobody goes and tells them? Think about your relatives. Do they need you to serve them? Think about other people, about the sufferings of others, go and serve them, because this is how Christ is glorified. People see that we are His disciples when we show His love to them.

I urge you to pray systematically and even to fast asking God to show you how to live for Christ, how to die for Him and what to choose in all circumstances so Jesus Christ be glorified. I also recommend you to get the next Inductive Bible studies which will help you understand how to live and to die for Christ. They will also free you from this hard state of mind you have now:

• Philippians
• Living victoriously in difficult times
• Lord, heal my hurts

If you live in Chisinau, you can buy these books at the Precept Ministries Library which is situated on Alecu Russo str. 59/6. We invite you to study the Bible together at the “The Good News” church:

• Sunday, 14.00 – 16.00
• Tuesday (youth meeting), 18.00 – 20.00
• Thursday (Bible sduty),18.00 – 20.00

May God bless you!