Are you afraid to die?  The question is not do you want to die, but are you afraid of dying.  The hope that we have as Christians should make us unafraid of it.  One of the biggest fears of death is the unknown that follows it, but we know what comes next, and it is a blessing.

Revelation 14:13 (ESV)
¹³  And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

For those who die in the Lord, death is a time when we pass from the trials and turmoils of life to a place of rest.  Why do we have rest?  The Spirit says because our deeds follow us.  He was not referring to meritorious works whereby we earn salvation, but to works of obedience, which began when we obeyed the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), putting us into the Lord where we have been redeemed.

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)
⁷  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Since our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ (Revelations 1:5), death is no longer something that should scare us.  Sin is the only thing that will condemn us before God; thus, we do not have to fear the day of judgment.

1 John 4:17-18 (ESV)
¹⁷  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

The Hebrews writer also wrote of our escape from the bondage of the fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵  and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

We are delivered from the bondage of fear because, for us, death has lost its sting.

1 Corinthians 15:55-56 (ESV)
⁵⁵  “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” ⁵⁶  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

No, we do not fear death, nor should we allow the threat of it to control our actions.  Death will always be a part of this life, but for the Christian, it is just a pathway to a better place.

Philippians 1:22-23 (ESV)
²²  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.