Topic: A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH– Right From The Heart Daily Devotional by Bryant Wright Ministry 20 MARCH 2024
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A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH
August 20, 2024
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
“And now He has revealed this grace by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
2 Timothy 1:10
Silicon Valley is on a quest for immortality.
A recent article highlights how tech billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and PayPal’s co-founder, Peter Thiel, are funding enormous research projects seeking to reverse aging and cheat death.
We can’t blame them for trying, can we? Each year, approximately 65 million people die in the world. That is 178,000 each day, 7425 each hour, and 120 each minute. Many people list “death” or the “death of a loved one” as one of their greatest fears.
So, on a basic level, I get it. I appreciate the efforts of the tech moguls to pioneer healthcare innovations for the good of mankind. But as I read the article, this thought resounded in my mind:
They are spending an exorbitant amount of money for something Jesus has already provided.
With all its wealth and intellect, Silicon Valley is missing the obvious, searching everywhere except the one place where eternal life is found: namely, God Himself. Any attempt to discover eternal life apart from Him will prove as futile as Ponce de Leon and his legendary fountain of youth.
If we want to cheat death, so to speak, then we need to look no further than Jesus. Through Him, God has graciously shined a beacon of light in the darkness, pointing the way to life everlasting. Eternal life is freely given to all who repent of their sins and place their faith in Him.
Let me help Silicon Valley out a little. Is there life after death? The answer is an emphatic “Yes!” But the real question is this:
When we die, will we live with God or apart from Him?
In some of the most hopeful words in Scripture, Paul clearly proclaims what Jesus has done so that we can face death without fear and spend eternity with God.
• Jesus has “destroyed death.”
By His resurrection, Jesus has annulled death, rendering it powerless and robbing it of its sting (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Incidentally, for Christ’s followers, death is not something to be afraid of but a doorway that opens into the presence of God.
• Jesus has “brought life and immortality.”
In effect, Jesus takes away death and gives us a life in exchange. But we don’t have to wait until heaven to experience eternal life. This life begins on earth. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). That means an abundant life in the here and now, my friends!
However, lest we forget, Jesus not only “brought life” to us, He “brought immortality.”
This means:
Forever freedom from death.
Forever freedom from evil.
Forever freedom from pain, sickness, and sadness.
We will have resurrected bodies and dwell with Jesus forever in a place of boundless joy! (Revelation 21:1-4)
While this may not be new information to many, we dare not take these beautiful truths for granted.
Paul isn’t. I guarantee you. As he shares these words with Timothy, Paul is literally staring death in the face:
“...the time has come for my departure.” 2 Timothy 4:6
Knowing his execution was imminent, eternal life wasn’t just a theological doctrine for Paul. It was a beautiful reality he would soon behold.
In a similar way, our time on earth will pass in the blink of an eye. So, let’s cherish and celebrate the eternal life we have in Jesus’ name.
Let us not “be ashamed to testify about our Lord” to anyone who will listen (2 Timothy 1:8).
After all, Jesus, not Silicon Valley, holds the keys to immortality.
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