Our friend, Jeff, is dying. He is at a hospice house right now. But I am strangely at peace because Jeff is a believer. His family is suffering and will miss him terribly, and I feel so sad for them. But Jeff is the lucky one, the one who is about to meet Jesus in person. That makes it a glorious day even though it’s a sad day.
Jeff, Tracey and two of their three children during one of his brain tumor treatments at Stanford Hospital.
I would like to share a few more quotes from Of First Importance:
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“Christians don’t think God will love us because we’re good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”
--C.S. Lewis, Daily Quote on Twitter
______________________________________ “You must indeed, O believer, grapple with death, and shall get the first fall – but you shall rise again, and come off victorious at last. You must go down to the grave; but, though it be your long home, it will not be your everlasting home.
You will not hear the voice of your friends there; but you shall hear the voice of Christ there. You may be carried there with mourning, but you shall come up from it rejoicing. Your friends, indeed, will leave you there, but your God will not. What God said to Jacob, concerning his going down to Egypt (Gen. 46:3, 4), he says to you, on your going down to the grave, ‘Fear not to go down – I will go down with you – and I will also surely bring you up again.’
O solid comfort! O glorious hopes! ‘Therefore comfort’ yourselves, and ‘one another with these words’ (1 Thess. 4:18).”
—Thomas Boston, Human Nature in its Fourfold State
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“… the secret of the gospel is that we actually do more when we hear less about all we need to do for God and hear more about all that God has already done for us.”
- Kevin DeYoung, DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed
I'm sorry to read that your friend has been suffering with cancer. My prayers will be with him and his family.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that the young with children are picked to return so early in life, I lost a younger brother with a 17 year old daughter to cancer in Dec.of 2009.I guess we have to accept that it is God's Will, but still it is so sad for the surviving members of the family, especially the little ones.Tell your friend our prayers are with her and her children. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna...
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough time for family and friends for sure, but as you say, he's going to be the one to be with Jesus right away. How wonderful that will be for him.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your friend Jeff but isn't it wonderful to know that he is in the hands of Jesus! We will keep him and his family in our prayers. It is so sad to be so young with young children. They will miss him so much.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com
So sorry to hear about your friend Jeff and his struggle with cancer and his family having to deal with his impending passing. I am thankful that he knows the Lord...glad you can be there for them.
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