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Daily Inspirational Devotionals
A Good Death He will come again …. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28) Margaret Kim Peterson knew that her husband was going to die soon. The diagnosis was severe and fatal. Together the two of them set out to plan his death, calmly and nobly. They began by updating his will and meeting with a funeral director. A cemetery plot was purchased and a headstone put into place. Her husband said his final good-byes, wrote his final letters, made sure that all his final words had been said. He was ready to die. But first he wanted to visit his gravesite one last time before too much of his strength had left his body. Margaret writes of the event: When we visited the cemetery to see my husband’s newly laid gravestone, we took a picture of him next to his gravestone. He is sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking straight into the camera, and in front of him is a flat stone with the legend, “I know that my redeemer liveth,” and under it his name and the year of his birth, with a space next to it for the year of his death. It is a photograph at once macabre, and darkly funny, and soberly realistic. He is dying, and he knows it, and he also knows that his redeemer lives, and that he is soon to see him face to face. Isn’t this how a Christian ought to live, and ought to die? Believe it or not, there is something more important than living a good life. It is preparing for a good death. It is knowing that we have lived in such a way that our destiny is secure long before our days on earth are over. It is seeing that our life goes on even after we draw our last breath. This doesn’t mean that we live for death—only that we understand the terminal nature of life. We’re not talking about a death wish; we’re talking about an eternal mind-set. When you can sit on your gravesite and smile for the camera, it says a lot about your true priorities. We are never more alive than when we are intimately aware of death. It brings a perspective like few other things can. “Seventy years are given to us!” prays Moses. “Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone …. Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:10-12).
Today’s Reading Philippians 3:12-14; Hebrews 9:28 Reflection Do you live in fear of death? How can you allow Jesus to help you embrace your glorious future? Pray today that you can begin eagerly awaiting the salvation Jesus brings.
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The best-selling Left Behind series has captured the attention of millions of readers, and it has changed lives. It has brought millions of believers the motivation to examine their hearts. Are you ready to embrace eternity? Live each moment as if it could be your last? Your future is more important than your past. Where you are going matters more than where you have been. What you do from this day forward means much more than what you have already done. You may be affected by your past, but you are not defined by it. Not in the eyes of God. What does it mean to embrace eternity? It means grasping each breath as if it could be your last, living life moment by precious moment with your feet planted firmly on earth but your heart aimed squarely at heaven. It means learning to embrace the role of dual citizenship—living in one world while belonging to another. It is a lifestyle of living like there’s no tomorrow and then dying so that your real life can finally begin! This 365-day devotional explores the themes introduced in the Left Behind series—themes of salvation, grace, obedience, and faith. New believers as well as mature believers will find a message of faith that will inspire and motivate daily.
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