Daily Devotional for Sunday December 20, 2009

The Bible is Full of Admonitions to Love Your Brother

(1 John 4:21, 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Matthew 25:25)

The Bible is full of admonitions to love your brother, to love others. What an incredible way to show your love to someone that you never even met in this lifetime, than by donating your organs and giving the gift of life! What does God say about this? Obviously, there are no passages of scripture that speaks directly for or against donating your organs after you die. So as is often the case, we need to take the whole counsel of God into consideration in looking at this issue.

Our bodies serve two purposes during this life. They are the clay shells that we occupy during our brief journey, and for the believer, they become the temple of the Holy Spirit during this life. The Bible is quite clear that when this life is over, it is our soul that lives on for eternity and our bodies will return to the "dust of the earth" as God mandated. Our bodies serve no further purpose once we are dead.

Many ask about the "body" we will have after death. Scripture is clear that whatever body we will have will be a glorified body. Many people have their bodies destroyed in death. Whether you choose to be buried or cremated, your body will be destroyed. In cremation it is burned, in burial it slowly decomposes until it is nothing more than dust. So the body we will possess post-death will be a glorified body.

Since our bodies serve no further purpose once we are dead, it simply becomes an issue for each person to decide how they will have their bodies disposed of. This means that before you are buried or cremated, donating your organs simply comes down to a choice each person has to make. If your organs are healthy and able to be used by someone else, there is really no good reason NOT to donate them. The reality is, you are dead and you won't need them any longer.

What a great way to show love for someone than by literally giving of yourself so that they can continue to live. God clearly calls us to love one another, to serve others. Donating your organs is an incredible act of love and service.

I love you and care about you so much. I will be praying for you today that you will seriously pray about this special act of love. God gives us many opportunities in our life to serve others. This is the last act of service that we can perform, one that can literally save the life of someone else. Remember this, all that we have is from God and is simply on loan to us during this brief journey. That includes our organs. I pray today that you will seriously consider donating your organs once you die and give the gift of life.

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller