TODAY IS…

an awesome day to conquer our fear of death.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies…’”  John 11:25 NASB

For many people throughout the world, the fact of everlasting life is a difficult thing to accept.

The inability, or unwillingness, to accept that fact keeps many people living in darkness, and the inability, or unwillingness, to believe what we cannot see presents a barrier many non-believers cannot overcome.

Unfortunately, many individuals who have accepted Christ as their Savior struggle with this as well. Far too many Christians fear death, and this is in direct conflict with the teachings of Christ.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (Luke 9:24 NASB).

Far too many who say they are believers still live their daily lives on earth as if this is all there is.

Living for Christ means not being afraid of death in this life. It doesn’t mean we should live in a reckless or dangerous manner. It means that we should live our lives to serve Christ and if doing so places us in dangerous situations, we need not be afraid.

It means that when there are fewer days in our future than in our past we are at peace because we know that the end here is just the beginning.

It means that we accept what we cannot see because of our belief that the death of Jesus Christ conquered death for all of us.

Our belief that this is so should eliminate our fear for, “The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.” (Proverbs 12:28 NLT).

At one time or another, many of us have probably thought about how amazing it must have been to be one of the many people who stood next to Jesus as He spoke; who followed Him and watched Him demonstrate the depth of His love for those who needed it the most. How fortunate those individuals were who were blessed enough to have lived at the same time and who had the opportunity to gaze into His eyes and listen to His voice as He spoke.

This is what awaits us all, because Christ conquered death for us. King David believed this when he wrote, “Because I am righteous, I will see You. When I awake, I will see You face to face and be satisfied.” (Psalm 17:15 NLT).

How many of us would not be satisfied to see Christ face to face? How many of us live with no fear of death because of the guarantee of life we received from Christ? Imagine yourself looking into the eyes of Christ and thanking Him for conquering death!

Use the gift of this day to contemplate that.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson