Today's Daily Reading

No one is ready to die in peace until he has seen Christ; but when he has seen him, he needs no further preparation for dying. He may never have looked upon any of the wonders of this world; but it is not necessary that he should have done so, if he has beheld the Lamb of God. He may not have carried out one of his own ambitious plans in life, nor have achieved anything great or beautiful; but no matter -- the one essential achievement in life is to see Jesus. When we have truly seen him, dying has no more terrors, for he has robbed death of its sting and the grave of its victory.

The Christian has a soft pillow of peace to rest upon when he comes to die. Christ has lifted the curse from his soul, and made death but the way to glory. He himself tasted death for his people; but now there is no death for any of them. He said to Martha, by her brother's grave, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." That means that those who are saved by Christ find no terror, no darkness, nothing to harm them, in dying, but pass through the experience as through a beautiful gate into life everlasting.

The word "lettest" here means "set free" "Set thy servant free to depart", implying that what we call life is like the imprisoning of the eagle; and what we call death, after one has seen Christ, is blessed and glorious emancipation. What a beautiful thought of dying! On the gravestone of a little child are the words: "Out of the darkness into the marvelous light!" All we need, then, is truly to see Christ before we die. When he has lifted away the curse of sin, and put his own holy life into our souls, we are already in the portal of heaven while in this world; dying will be but entering in, to behold Christ face to face for ever.