Keep Your Fork!

A story is told of a woman who was informed by her doctor that she was soon going to die. So as she was getting her things “in order” so to speak she called upon her pastor to give him some instructions concerning her funeral and how she wanted to be buried. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered that she forgot to tell the pastor about one very important last request. The woman then said to the pastor, “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking confused at the woman not knowing what to say. Then the woman explained, “In all my years of attending church socials and potlucks, I always remember being told to “keep the fork” after we got done with the main meal. She went on to say, “This was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell: ‘Keep your fork… the best is yet to come.’ ”

This past Sunday, Christians all over the world celebrated Resurrection Sunday. As believers we know that because He lives, we have eternal life that starts the moment we believe in His finished work on the cross on our behalf. His loving gift of sacrifice on the cross fully satisfied the penalty that we all face because of our rebellion against His truth and flourishing way of life. “He is the satisfying payment for our sins, but not only our sins, but the sins of the world” (I John 1:2).

Because Jesus’ resurrection some 2000 years ago, followers of Jesus have the confidence that we will never truly die. We have an eternal quality of life in Christ and an eternal quantity of life forever with Christ after we pass through this short journey of life on earth. The Apostle Paul, after revealing the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and how it gives us hope of our own resurrection, concluded these truths in I Corinthians 15:58 by stating, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (NIV).

Because He lives, we can have life that is truly life through trusting Him for forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The blessed assurance of believers in Jesus is that “the best is yet to come.” So, “keep your folk.”

Dr. David Ley is the President of Alaska Bible College.