What is your only comfort in life and in death?

1 Corinthians 3:23 But you are Christ's and Christ of God.

That I am not my own,but belong,body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life

and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. 

This is the faith in a nutshell. We, as Christians, but of one thing wells our comfort and that is that we are Christ's. We are not ourselves, but in Jesus Christ, and He is in God. So we are from God. When we would stay ourselves, sin fester in us continues and we will never be holy before God. But now we are in Christ and his work has been done for us, we are holy to God. God accepts the sacrifice of His Son, as if we did it ourselves and see us through His Son to. Jesus paid for all our sins, not one exception, and that makes us clean before God.

The devil has no power over us and to lapse. He can dominate us when we are not of Jesus Christ, and he can take us as possession if we follow him. He seduces us again and again, trying to draw us to him. Let it be clear that it is not the devil that sin in us, but that we do sin by ourselves. The devil tempts us and pulls us away from God, but if we are Christ, the devil doesn't have that power anymore. The power of Christ's blood is too strong and defeated him at Calvary, even his most deterrent weapon, death is negated and overcome.

And everything is in life for our salvation. That's a comforting thought. Because we can sometimes lose ourselves in why questions. Why did this or that happened or why I'm not strong in certain areas. But then we read in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good. That makes the sorrow or the pain not smaller, but it should again bring us to Christ because in Him we are with God, and He knows how to make it so that it cooperates too good.

And God gives us His Holy Spirit to assure us that we may live forever with Him. We do not doubt, but we should know for sure. The Christian life does not end with death, but then begins to glory. This little piece of earth is only the beginning, and sometimes difficult, but after death will it take forever and it is not difficult, but delicious. And with that view we can live for Him. Our lives are in God's service and also determines our choices in life. The huge choices of work, study, church and family. But also the smaller choices of what I watch and what not, What I do and what not do.

If God will comfort us and help us in this difficult world. He wil not leaves us alone, but gives us His Word and His Spirit. That will help us to live for Him and He assures us of the glory of God!

Heidelberg Catechism question and answer 1