Daily Devotional
Do You Fear Death?
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Corinthians 15:55
April 17, 2019
Ponder This
A pastor who lost his wife in death was left to single-parent their little girl. She couldn’t fully understand all that had happened. But one day while she was in the car with her father, she saw the shadow of a truck passing by. The setting sun made the shadow huge, much bigger than the truck.
The little girl said, “Daddy, look at the big shadow.”
He said, “Sweetheart, would you rather be hit by the shadow of the truck or by the truck?”
“That's easy,” she said, “I'd much rather be hit by the shadow.”
He said, “That's right, darling. And it was only the shadow that hit Mama. The truck hit Jesus two thousand years ago at Calvary.”
That’s why in the Twenty-Third Psalm, David calls it “the valley of the shadow of death.” Jesus has taken the sting out of death and the dread out of the grave! He has become our victor!
Many people fear death—it’s a shadow looming over each of us, representing the unknown. Yet Jesus disarmed death and took away its power. The believer in Christ can have this assurance: beyond that shadow is the sunlight of the eternal morning.
Practice This
Talk with the Lord right now. Tell Him about something you fear. He already knows about it anyway. Picture yourself giving that fear over to Him. Place it in the nail-scarred Hand.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
