Reflections on the death of a brother in Christ

A dear brother in Christ and elder of mine passed away to be with our Lord last week. While he was of advanced age, his death came as a shock not only to me but to all who were close to him. As is always the case in such circumstances, I have spent a lot of the past few days reflecting on our shared history and the reality that death makes so clear.

Here are some conclusions I have come to:

1. We don’t know how much time we have left in this life. This is hardly earth-shattering information, I know; we all know this in theory. But when death comes to one close to us, we realise that this matters. We always think we have more time with those we love than we have. We have to make the most of the time.
2. What will others learn from the example of our life? We are often called in the Scriptures to be an example to others, even though this is scary for us. My dear brother and elder taught me a great deal about hospitality and using what God has given us well for kingdom work. All of us are gifted in different ways. We should work hard with what we have been given to build others up and give glory to God. For others to learn something from our example we should be active in the local church and consistent in our godliness for a long time.
3. There is joy to be found in a long life serving God. Any life contains a great many aspects to it, some that we need to do and some that we choose to do. While it is easy to live for the comfort and material blessings of life, learning more about our good God and growing in godliness is something that brings real joy and contentment. My friend was active in our church well into later life, attending church and Bible study as he was able, reading all the Bible passages beforehand so as to be prepared. We must never lose the joy of knowing more about our Saviour.
4. There is comfort in knowing that one who has run the race is now in glory with our Lord. While grief saddens those of us left behind for the moment, the hope we have in Jesus is the greatest comfort. It is difficult to see one we care for struggling with pain and limitations and a relief to know that all of this is over. Where Christians are headed there will be no more pain or death or mourning. And even better than that, one day we get to go home, to meet the One we love and who loves us.