[Darris McNeely] I had a good friend die this week. I was shocked, and I was saddened when I heard the news. He had just recently come down with cancer, and he had begun his fight with that dread disease, and expected to either beat it or live for a much longer period of time. But it didn't happen. And I had hoped to have a conversation with him, one last conversation before he did die. But that's not going to happen either. And so, I'm left with what I believe, his family is left what they believe. 

What do you believe about life, and especially about death? Whatever you believe should give you the ability to face that inevitable truth of death without fear. There's a scripture, there's actually many scriptures to turn to. There's one that I thought immediately about whenever I heard about my friend's death. It's in 1 Corinthians 15, the famous resurrection chapter of the Bible where the Apostle Paul talks about the corruption of this flesh, this mortal life, putting on immortality. And he says when that happens, when this corruptible puts on incorruption, when this mortal puts on immortality, he said at that time, "Death will be swallowed up in victory." And then he says, "O death where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:50-55)

Those are some very encouraging and comforting words because they tell us that death will one day lose. It will lose to life, and it will be the life of the resurrection, and the hope that God's Word gives to each of us to be able to face death and to live life with confidence and without fear. 

I'll have to wait for that conversation with my friend, but we'll probably talk about verses like this at that particular time. I encourage you to find those verses that help to shape your faith now in your life.

That's BT Daily, join us next time.