SCRIPTURE:

Beloved brothers and sisters, we want you to be quite certain about the truth concerning those who have passed away, so that you won’t be overwhelmed with grief like many others who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13 TPT)

DEVOTIONAL:

Let’s start with the definition of redeemed, which means to be brought back or bought back. We were in captivity, but we’ve been brought out of that captivity. What we want to do now is to get some understanding of what it means to be brought out of death into life. 

As we dive into what the Word of God says about our redemption, we will see that we can put death on the shelf until such time as we need it. It’s not up to death to dictate to us when or how we should pass from this life. Putting death in the warehouse, so to speak, until we are ready for death allows us to lead a life that is free from the fear of death. 

This is our objective—to take away all fear of death—because it wasn’t meant for us to have fear. Sometimes, death seems to stalk people, meaning that even the subject of death causes some people to think it’s too morbid to even talk about. You see people show up at funerals that you haven’t seen in years and even decades, and it seems that death has a certain sound to it that sends chills of fear and sorrow through them. 

This shouldn’t be! The apostle Paul said, “Beloved brothers and sisters, we want you to be quite certain about the truth concerning those who have passed away, so that you won’t be overwhelmed with grief like many others who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 TPT).

PRAYER:

Dear God, Thank you that I have been redeemed from death, and that for a Christian, death is simply leaving this world to be with Jesus forever. I rejoice to know that I have eternal life in Him! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Dr. Bill Winston’s book, Redeemed from Death. To order this uplifting book, click here.

Listen to this devotional here.