Daily Devotional

Have you ever had a near-death experience? 2023 was a challenging year for several reasons, but it pains me to report that that year had the highest number of school shootings since the incidents started getting tracked in 1966. In particular, I still remember the specific report of a school shooting that took place at a Christian private school in Nashville, Tennessee. I remember feeling burdened as I imagined the grief and heartache of all those families who lost loved ones that day. The other part that's just hard to comprehend is the survivor's guilt, remorse, and post-traumatic stress that all the individuals who walked away will now have to cope with. And I just imagine that part of the challenge, when overcoming a near-death experience, is thanatophobia, a fear of death! Yet, you don’t need to have gone through a near-death experience to have issues with thanatophobia. In fact, it’s reported that 1 in 5 people in the US report being “afraid” or “very afraid” of dying. 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 as humans 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, and everlasting life is available through faith in Him. As we die daily to ourselves, 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 still dealing with the fear of death, in need of the assurance of His saving grace found 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.