Day 7 - Week 25 - John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let not your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

What is the thing you're most afraid of?  Spiders? Snakes? Speaking in front of an audience?

I would challenge your answer with the answer that I think is truest for all of us....death.  I believe that at the core of all of our fears lies the base fear of death.  Our death and the deaths of those we love. 

For death is the great unknown. 

Betty White was interviewed recently and asked if she feared death... 

Couric: "Are you afraid of dying?"

White: "No, not at all. Not at all. My mother had the most wonderful outlook on death. She would always say, 'Nobody knows. People think they do, you can believe whatever you want to believe what happens at that last moment, but nobody ever knows until it happens.' But, she said, it's a secret. So, all growing up, whenever we'd lose somebody, she'd always say, 'Now, they know the secret.'"

I'm not quite sure what has relieved Betty White's fear of dying...she did not share her faith or what she believes about Jesus Christ.  Just having a good attitude about death wouldn't take my fear away.

I know that for me, without the knowledge that Jesus Christ has died for me, paid the price for my sins, has been resurrected by the power of God, and has gone to His Father to prepare the way for me to join Him there...I would be terrified!  In fact, the fear of death was key to my conviction in my acceptance of Jesus as my personal Savior.  As a child I was terribly afraid of dying in my sleep.  But one night while wrestling with my overly fearful mind vs.the logic of my belief in Jesus (this was when I was 9 or 10), I realized that IF I died, I would wake up in a wonderful place with my wonderful Jesus.  With that realization, I had a peace that I had never had before.  I don't think I ever worried about dying after that.  Later I came to realize that Romans 14:8 expressed the truth that I had worked out in my head,

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

I think Betty is right - death is a secret.  But I think Jesus has told us not to be afraid of the secret.  To live our lives out with a peacefulness in our hearts because we know that He has done what He needed to do for us to live with Him forever.

So if I'm right, if death is your ultimate fear, hear Jesus' words...do not be afraid.  The secret is that Jesus will be there waiting for you and for me, and for all who believe in Him as the One who has taken away all of our fears.