Daily Devotional
You Do Not Have to Dread Dying

September 15, 2023

Ponder This

A little boy and his sister were with their mother in the garden and a big bumblebee stung the little boy. He cried and jumped up in his mother’s arms. The bee continued to buzz around, and the little girl was frightened to death. The little boy by this time had his tears dried, and the mother said, “Sweetheart, you don’t have to be afraid of that bee.” She said, “But he stung brother.” She said, “Yes, but come over here and look.” And there on brother’s hand was the stinger, still in that flesh, and she pulled it out and said, “See there? He left his stinger in brother. You can’t be stung because that bee has lost his stinger.”

I want to tell you: the Lord Jesus took the sting of sin for me and for you. Death may buzz and frighten you, but friend, the sting is gone because of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Oh, Death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus has taken the pain out of parting, the dread out of dying, and the gloom out of the grave. Because of Him, we have a steadfast and sure hope.

• How afraid are you of the sting of death? Does this change with your circumstances? Why or why not?
• How does Jesus’ victory over death and sin change the way you live today?

Practice This

Spend some time praising God for how He has taken away the sting of death.