Daily Devotional

Have you ever had a near-death experience? It burdens me as I write this to see that there's been another school shooting that took place at a private Christian school Nashville, Tennessee. I can only imagine the grief and heartache of all those families who lost someone that day. The other part that's hard for me to comprehend is the survivor's guilt, remorse, and post-traumatic stress that all of the individuals who walked away, will now have to cope with. I believe one part of the challenge when overcoming a near-death experience is that many people have thanatophobia, a fear of death! Most people don't allow this fear to stop their daily activities, but it still impacts them, nonetheless.

 But what if I told you that one of our greatest fears could be avoided completely? What if we could “cheat death” so to speak? Well fortunately for the believer we understand that this is not a hypothetical, this is the new reality. We no longer have any reason to fear death. Death has lost its sting because of Christ. God has promised us a way out of death and as a result death is now a wasted grave. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of our savior Christ Jesus, Timothy tells us that death has been abolished and life and immortality have been brought through the good news. Jesus broke the power of death, opening the door to everlasting life through faith in Him. As we die to ourselves daily, we live knowing death no longer has a hold on us. May we today thank God for the assurance that we have in His resurrection power. And may we pray for those dealing with the fear of death in need of the assurance of His saving grace found only at the cross.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.