9 April 2023
‘Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.’ Hebrews 2:15 NLT
When we accept Jesus as our Saviour and make Him the main focus of our lives, the fear of death can have no hold over us. We’ll still have to go through physical death, but it has no effect on our spiritual life. Jesus made this promise to us: ‘Because I live, you also will live’ (John 14:19 NIV). So we can be sure that when we commit our lives to Him, our spiritual life will carry on eternally with Him in heaven. Today, Easter Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death. His resurrection proves that death has been beaten. When Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic, was dying, he wrote these words to be read at his burial service: ‘We commit the body of Charles A. Lindbergh to its final resting place; but his spirit we commit to Almighty God, knowing that death is but a new adventure in existence and remembering how Jesus said upon the cross, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”’ Death is just ‘a new adventure in existence’, so there’s no need for us to dread it or ignore it. Because of Jesus, we can face it with joy and confidence. His resurrection guarantees our new life in heaven. One day when Saint Francis of Assisi was hoeing his garden, a man asked him what he would do if he suddenly learned he was to die at sunset that day. He said, ‘I would finish hoeing my garden.’ He wasn’t going to waste time and energy fearing death; instead, he was ready to put his trust in God and maximise every moment of life. That’s how we need to live too!
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