Living Hope
Yesterday I received a phone call reporting a tragic death of a friend. Everything happened very suddenly, the news came to a shock for everyone. He had been sick for a few months, but no one knew what (some didn't even know he was sick), and since he was away from town, no one followed up. Then on Monday, April 14, 2014, my friend and brother in Christ, Jin Bin Chen, passed away of leukemia at the young age of 21. We weren't super close friends, but we hung out regularly and also had the opportunities to serve together. He was one who always brought laughter wherever he went, whether it was when he would make fun of Xue Kai or when he would happily be the butt of the joke; people loved hanging around him. He was a brave child; he was left alone in Tucson for years, merely a high schooler, with no modes of transportation, but he learned to survive. He was always very generous, he loved his friends and were willing to do and give them anything. He was very hospitable to open up his home to adopt Enoch on the weekends my parents were in Asia. He was a child of God; he never stopped striving to know more about God and the Bible. Even while on his death bed, he took the opportunity to evangelize to his mother; in his pain, he was still thinking of his mother's salvation. We all loved him and we are all mournful of his passing.
While this news is heartbreaking, I have a living hope that I'll see him again. I was informed that minutes before his death, he was experiencing a lot of pain due to internal bleedings. However, now he has gone to a place with no more sorrow and no more pain. On the day that our Lord Jesus Christ returns, we'll meet again and feast at the table of the King. He is already incredibly missed, but my hope is built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ that as His children, we will all meet again. As Christians, we must have this hope - through this tragic event, we must reflect on the brevity of our lives. We never know when it could be our last minute, but more importantly, we never know when it could be another person's last. We must take advantage of every minute to do God's work, you never know when God will call you home. In addition, there are people that God has placed around us, if we don't take advantage of the time we have with them, to show them God's love, to serve and love them, we might lose the opportunity quickly.
In the season of Easter, remember that Christ died for you, but He didn't just die, He resurrected, and has gone to prepare a place for you and me. One day, He'll come back to take us home. So, do you have this Living Hope? Do you have hope that we will see each other again? Do you have hope that you will see the people around you again? If you do not, would you like to? Would you like to come to know the only One who can give you an eternal hope? Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6). All it takes is for you to accept.
While this news is heartbreaking, I have a living hope that I'll see him again. I was informed that minutes before his death, he was experiencing a lot of pain due to internal bleedings. However, now he has gone to a place with no more sorrow and no more pain. On the day that our Lord Jesus Christ returns, we'll meet again and feast at the table of the King. He is already incredibly missed, but my hope is built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ that as His children, we will all meet again. As Christians, we must have this hope - through this tragic event, we must reflect on the brevity of our lives. We never know when it could be our last minute, but more importantly, we never know when it could be another person's last. We must take advantage of every minute to do God's work, you never know when God will call you home. In addition, there are people that God has placed around us, if we don't take advantage of the time we have with them, to show them God's love, to serve and love them, we might lose the opportunity quickly.
In the season of Easter, remember that Christ died for you, but He didn't just die, He resurrected, and has gone to prepare a place for you and me. One day, He'll come back to take us home. So, do you have this Living Hope? Do you have hope that we will see each other again? Do you have hope that you will see the people around you again? If you do not, would you like to? Would you like to come to know the only One who can give you an eternal hope? Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6). All it takes is for you to accept.
We love you Jin Bin. See you at home.
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