Death is Not the End--A Message in Word and Song

"He who believes in me shall never die."--Jesus Christ

One of the greatest truths throughout the ages is that death is not the end but a new beginning.  As a child is born into the world, it comes fearful of leaving its mother's womb and venturing into the unknown.  But that unknown is a simply a new phase of life and growth, in a different environment.

So is death.  I used to be afraid of death.  It was not so much what came afterward, but the process of dying.  Does it hurt?  Is a person afraid as it happens?  Does the room grow dark?

And then, suddenly, one day I wasn't afraid anymore.  It simply went away.  One reason could be more maturity.  Another is my deeper understanding of what death means.  Like birth, it is a mere passageway to a different phase of life, in another environment.

In addition, when one is deeply aware and convinced of the fact that the God of all the ages, through Jesus Christ, is with us through it all, holding our hand, showing us the way forward, then there is no need to fear.

Jesus endured a painful death on the cross for sinners, dying that we might live.  But he also told his disciples that on the third day he would arise from the shackles of death and that the grave would never be victorious over Him.  Because He lives, we too shall live.  Death has no final claim on us.  The cross and the resurrection is the proof of that perennial hope.

Death is not the end, my friend!

Prayer:  We thank You, O God, for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, and rose that we might live.  We ask that we will live in light of the ultimate hope that when death comes our way, we have a Savior who will lead us gently over the threshold into that great tomorrow, where the morning and the evening  are always illuminated by the Christ who is the eternal light.  In your great name we pray, Amen.

The song for the day is a sermon unto itself.  It is written by Bill and Gloria Gaither and is one of the best songs they ever composed.  It is performed by the great Glen Payne and the Cathedral Quartet.  Be sure to watch and listen.  This is powerful and it will bless you heart.  Click here for song, "Then Came the Morning."