Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Greg Laurie: Bob Saget’s Death Reminds Christians We Ought to Spend Time Thinking About Death

Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Share Tweet
By Greg Laurie
Contributor

January 14, 2022

We were all shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Bob Saget at age 65. To the generation who grew up watching “Full House,” Bob was a father figure they came to love. Yet another generation discovered him as the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

Bob Saget was found dead in his hotel room in Florida following a show on his comedy tour. This tragic event happened right on the heels of the death of beloved comedic actress Betty White, who died at 99.

Bob Saget made this statement on Instagram after Betty passed:

She always said the love of her life was her husband, Allen Ludden, who she lost in 1981. Well, if things work out by Betty’s design— in the afterlife, they are reunited. I don’t know what happens when we die, but if Betty says you get to be with the love of your life, then I happily defer to Betty on this.

He honestly added, “I don’t know what happens when we die.”

Death is something we all think about almost every day —some more than others. We should think deeply about death, but more importantly, the afterlife.

In older times, people commonly wrote a Latin phrase on the top of documents: “Memento Mori.” It means “Think of death.” The phrase sounds morbid on the surface, but it” s not. It served as a reminder to be aware that life ends, eternity is close and there is an afterlife.

Betty White and Bob Saget were not the only comedians to think about the afterlife. In Sept. 2021, Norm Macdonald died of cancer at age 61. Macdonald quietly fought his cancer battle and continued in his comedy work. He often spoke about the afterlife and Heaven.

Larry King asked Macdonald about his “religious views” in an interview.

“I’m a Christian,” Macdonald replied. “It’s not stylish to say that now.”

Larry King then asked, “Are you devout? … You believe in the Lord?”

“Yes, I do,” Macdonald said.

Listen to today’s podcast and subscribe:

Larry did not know he was interviewing a man facing death every day in his fight with cancer. He then asked Macdonald, “You think that you’re going somewhere when (life) ends?”

Norm said he did.

Larry said he could not believe in an afterlife because of all the evil in the world.

Norm responded, “It sounds like you have a God-shaped hole in your heart.”

Larry did. We all do.

Norm Macdonald once posted these words: “Scripture. Faith. Grace. Christ, Glory of God. Smart man says nothing is a miracle. I say everything is.”

That sums it up perfectly.

I am not an expert on the afterlife, but I am a student, not only because I am a Christian and a pastor, but also because my son, Christopher, died in 2008. I have thought deeply about what happens when we leave this life and enter the next one. Here is what has brought endless comfort to me: There is a Heaven, and Jesus has made a way for us all to go there.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25).

My son believed in Jesus as I do. He is now in Heaven.

For the Christian, the moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our next breath in Heaven. Because Jesus died on the cross for my sins and rose again, I have hope for the afterlife. And I know that I will see my son again.

King David, who also lost a son too soon, wrote, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sam. 12:23).

My son is not just a part of my past; he is also a part of my future. Jesus promised me that.

It is not a bad thing to think about these things deeply. Renowned author and theologian C. S. Lewis said, “A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not . . . a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.” 

Think about death, eternity and the afterlife. But think on it with the knowledge that death is not the end. There is an afterlife, but you need to be ready for it. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may be also” (John 14.2).

Only those who are prepared to die are genuinely ready to live. Now Norm, Larry, Betty and Bob are in the afterlife. And one day, you will be too. You decide in this life where you will spend the afterlife.

Choose well.

Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author and movie producer.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Latest

  • News

    World Athletics Bans Transgender Athletes From Competing in Female Sports

  • News

    Christian Ex-Cop Fired For Refusing Pandemic Mandate Doubles Down: ‘Get It or Be Fired’

  • News

    Chicago Blackhawks Won’t Wear Pride Jerseys, Citing Security Concerns

  • News

    ‘We are Devastated but Not Defeated’: Massive 8-Alarm Fire Destroys Church in New Jersey, Cause of Fire Under Investigation

  • News

    Wild Footage Shows Brave Good Samaritan Purportedly Tackling, Thwarting Gun-Wielding Man Fleeing Police in Busy NYC Neighborhood


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • World Athletics Bans Transgender Athletes From Competing in Female Sports
  • Christian Ex-Cop Fired For Refusing Pandemic Mandate Doubles Down: ‘Get It or Be Fired’
  • Chicago Blackhawks Won’t Wear Pride Jerseys, Citing Security Concerns
  • ‘We are Devastated but Not Defeated’: Massive 8-Alarm Fire Destroys Church in New Jersey, Cause of Fire Under Investigation
  • Wild Footage Shows Brave Good Samaritan Purportedly Tackling, Thwarting Gun-Wielding Man Fleeing Police in Busy NYC Neighborhood

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?