Pie in the Sky When We Die

There’s a story about a dying woman who, in making funeral arrangements, told her pastor she wanted to be buried with a fork in her right hand. The pastor was stunned.

She said, "All my life I have gone to church potluck suppers. When the main course was over and they came to clear the table inevitably someone would lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' That was my favourite part of the meal. I knew dessert was coming.”

Then she said, “I want to be laid out in my casket with a fork in my right hand, because I want people to come by and look and wonder, 'What’s with the fork?' And then pastor, you will have the opportunity to tell them, ‘Keep your fork because the best is yet to come.’"

Christ’s Resurrection means believers too shall be raised—there is unimaginable dessert coming! But some believers may not be aware that’s not all it means. There’s more than just pie in the sky when we die. Christ’s Resurrection has practical meaning for us as believers struggling to live godly lives here on earth!

Here are some desserts that are ours to taste now.

Power

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower believers to be and do all that God wants for us (Acts 2:32–33). Our priority is not to rely on our own strength but to walk daily in the power of the Spirit.

Prayer

Romans 8:34–38 tells us the resurrected Jesus is sitting at God’s right hand praying for us. When we have any trouble, it doesn’t mean He no longer loves us. Rather, He is praying for us and invites us to come boldly to God for mercy, grace, and peace to help us through (Hebrews 4:16).

Position

As those in Christ believers were raised when He was raised and are now seated with Him in the heavens in the position of victory (Ephesians 1:21; 2:6). On that basis, when tempted, we can resist the Devil, and he will flee (James 4:7).

I look forward to heaven’s desserts. But Christ’s Resurrection also provides me with more than that. It gives me things to share in here and now. So don’t just wait for pie in the sky when you die. Pick up your fork and taste for yourself!

Steve Johnson is the executive director at Insight for Living Canada.