Ebola. It is the latest disease to strike fear into much of the world’s population. People are dying in Africa from Ebola. Now it has appeared in the United States. Even with precautions now being taken at US entry airports, people are frightened. How can I avoid contacting Ebola? Can I survive if I do? And if I can avoid Ebola, what about MERV? Or what if Avian Flu comes back? Or the Black Plague?

If I manage to avoid catching some deadly disease, what about car wrecks? Plane crashes? Industrial accidents? What if terrorists strike where I live? How about school and work shootings? Murders? The possibility of death is everywhere. And we have not even mentioned tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, fire, and earthquakes.

Even if you manage to avoid all of these threats, there is still the deadliest one of all: old age. It will get you if nothing else does. Let’s face it, we are all going to die. Me, you, everyone. How can anyone live in the face of certain death, and with no certainty about when it may happen? All your plans, hopes, dreams crushed. Everyone you love gone forever.

Unless you believe in Jesus.

Christians believe that when Jesus rose from the dead he conquered death. He defeated the enemy of life. Because we believe in Jesus, we too will live again. We believe that we will be raised from the dead. We believe that we will live with our Christian loved ones forever. We believe that our life here on earth is under the control of Jesus. We believe this world is not the end, it is not our home. We are aliens and strangers here. That is why Jesus followers remind each other to not be afraid. Not to be afraid of anything in this life… even death.

Death is the beginning of life, not the end.
And that is our hope for life. Because we believe.

I would love to visit with you more about the hope we have. Write me at steve@hopeforlife.org. Or visit our website at www.hopeforlife.org.