May 30 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

We are all going to die. Unless Christ returns within the next hundred years, all the readers of this page will have died. Perhaps you find this thought appalling. Maybe it is an unnecessary reminder. But nobody can deny that it is realistic.

Death is our constant companion, although we never get used to him. When people speak of death as their friend, they are not quite healthy anymore. Death is our enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), whatever else we Christians have to say about him. Thank God, we can say more.

Death is a dark curtain, and nobody can see through it. It is a high wall, and nobody can look over it. The older we get, the greater the number of people we used to know who have vanished behind that curtain. Nobody has returned.

Only one man went that way and returned. His name is Jesus. He now crosses our paths because he is in the land of the living. He comes to us while we are still on our way. And he laid his hand on John's head, an infinitely gentle gesture. "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. You have to die, but I was dead and I live. When you have to go through the gate, do not be afraid. I have been there. And I have the keys."

Jesus speaks as the One who has conquered death in death's own realm. And he has every right to speak that way. He is forever beyond the dominion of death, but death is not outside Christ's dominion. That's what he means when he says: "I hold the keys." His authority extends behind the dark curtain.

As far as we can see, the righteous and the unrighteous leave this life through the same gate. They disappear behind the same wall. But we have heard the Word and received the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Therefore we walk our way with confidence. Even when we have to take that last step, we hear his voice: "Do not be afraid. I hold the keys."

REFLECTIONS

Reflect on your own attitude toward death. What are you afraid of? What comforts you?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.