Death Becomes Life: The Transforming Power of Christ’s Love
“O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” – 1 Corinthians 15:55
E. Stanley Jones captures a powerful reality in today’s devotional: death, when surrendered into the love of Christ, ceases to be an end and becomes a gateway to life. It is no longer the final word, no longer a cause for despair. Instead, it is transformed—woven into the redemptive work of God, bringing forth resurrection life in ways that defy earthly understanding.
Throughout history, we see this truth lived out. The missionary families in Foochow, the Australian widow, and the German missionaries in Purulia each faced unthinkable loss. Yet their response was not bitterness, but an outpouring of Christ’s life. The very thing that sought to destroy them became the catalyst for love, service, and redemption. What the world calls tragedy, God repurposes into triumph.
This is the reality of the believer’s journey. In Christ, physical death is not a calamity; it is a planting. Just as a seed is buried only to rise in fullness, our mortal bodies are sown in weakness but raised in incorruption. Even now, in our daily walk, every loss, every hardship, every moment that seems to mark an end is, in Christ, a doorway to new life.
Consider the phoenix, a bird of ancient legend. When consumed by flames, it is not destroyed but reborn, rising anew from the ashes. While mythical, this image echoes the very real truth of the resurrection life we have in Christ. What appears to be the end is, in His hands, only the beginning.
Reflection
How have you seen God bring life from what seemed like loss in your own journey?
Are there places in your life where you need to trust Him to transform pain into purpose?
How does the certainty of resurrection change the way you view suffering and death?
Prayer
Father, we stand in awe of Your redemptive power. What the world calls an end, You call a beginning. What seems like loss, You turn into life. Thank You that in Christ, death has no victory, and the grave has no hold on us. We rejoice that our lives—every part, even our sorrows—are safe in Your hands, woven into Your eternal purpose. In all things, we rest in Your love, knowing that nothing, not even death, can separate us from You. Amen.
📖 Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
📷 Photo Credit: Unsplash