January 26, 2021

Bob Maas
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
Psalm 23:4
"'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:55-58

For many years I feared death. It was the great unknown. Just as I look up into the sky at night and wonder about the infinity of space, when I thought about death, I speculated about what it will be like on the other side. Now, I can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and I fear no evil because I know that the Lord is with me. Nothing is more important than His presence, and even though I still don’t know what death will be like, I know what it is to live with a conscious awareness of fellowship with Him. Since I started following Jesus, I have been able to identify with Him in death in order that I may live with Him. Obedience to His commands requires me to consider myself to be dead so that I can surrender to His will. When I die, there will be no more need to renounce the ways of the world because I will be completely abiding in Him. I am so grateful that our heavenly Father has revealed Himself to me through Jesus Christ and now I am able to live in freedom from the fear of death.