March 20

Death, the Gate of Life

When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. — John 4:47 BSB

The man’s son was near death, standing on the threshold of eternity. This is a moment we all must face at some point. We travel through life on different paths, each of us walking our own unique road. If we could see a map of the world with all our individual journeys marked out, it would be a complex network of crisscrossing lines. Yet, no matter how different our routes may be, every one of us ultimately reaches the same destination—the “point of death.” There is no way around it. It is a mysterious point where life suddenly vanishes from sight, where we leave this world and enter a new existence in eternity.

What kind of preparation have we made for this moment? Are we ready to face it without fear, knowing it could come at any time? The only preparation that matters is being saved in Christ and faithfully completing the work He’s given us to do. Christ transformed the “point of death” into the “point of life.” He tasted death for all of us, taking away its darkness and curse. Now, for true believers in Christ, death is no longer something to fear—it’s simply leaving behind sin and danger and stepping into light, holiness, and safety.

A poet once described someone approaching a gate marked “The Gate of Death,” only to find that when they passed through, they were surrounded by light and beauty. Looking back, they saw the gate was actually labeled “The Gate of Life.” For those in Christ, death has been defeated, and what the world sees as the point of death is really the point of life. The only thing we need to be sure of is that we truly belong to Christ through faith and loving obedience.