Daily Inspiration

Recently my friend Ming, who I’ve known for nearly three decades, passed away after a lengthy illness. A few years ago, Ming and I found ourselves walking together on a similar yet very different path. It was then that I came to know Ming as a spiritual brother in Christ.

Ming and I would often meet over breakfast or lunch. These private times allowed us to open up with each other, about subjects we might not always be able to talk about with others. Ming has always been a great teacher, and he still has a few lessons for us to learn. I’m going to share with you three of the spiritual lessons about which Ming and I often spoke.

The First Lesson:

The real battle is not of this world but of the spiritual world. Ming had a very deep and profound understanding and relationship with the Lord. He understood what it truly meant to be a Christian in a way that most can’t comprehend. I’ve heard people talk about Mings’s valiant battle with cancer, but Ming and I spoke of the real battle that he won at the outset. He could have chosen a dark path presented to him by the enemy, or the path of light provided by the Lord. When Ming was faced with these choices, he made his decision instantly and he never looked back. Ming decided to give himself wholly to the Lord. To trust in Him, to lean on Him, and to conform his own will to the will of God. For Ming, once he surrendered to God’s will all that was left to do was to live his life in a way pleasing to God. Ming knew the Lord in a way that few on this earth have ever known Him, and his lesson is to trust completely in God.

“God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.” (Isaiah 12:2)

The Second Lesson:

We focus too much on what is important to us, and not enough on what is important to the Lord. Ming understood what was truly important, and he found the countless blessings that God had given him. Not just the blessings before his illness, but the many blessings that were granted to him after. I will always remember him saying, “you and I have been so blessed. We have been given a great gift, to have our eyes opened to see what really matters. It is hard for them, without a catalyst, to see what we see, and to focus on what they need to focus on.” Ming knew what was important in this life to prepare himself for the next, and his lesson is for us to learn what is important to God.

“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

The Third Lesson:

Grow close to the Lord, rest in Him, and pray. Ming was not afraid of death. He trusted and knew Jesus. He burned for the Lord and accepted the peace of Christ into his heart. We spoke of the afterlife and Scripture passages that helped us understand what it would be like to live with the Holy Trinity in God’s Kingdom. We spoke often that Ming knew the Lord had healed him. He knew that oftentimes we pray to God for the healings we want, but Jesus gives us the healings we need. Ming knew that he was healed spiritually because that was what Christ knew he needed, and his lesson for us is to pray for the things the Lord knows that we need, not the things we want.

“You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)

While I mourn the earthly loss of a brother, that sadness is surpassed by the heavenly joy of knowing Ming is with the Lord. Ming’s light will surely be missed in this world, but I rejoice that he is now bathed in the brilliant light of Christ for all eternity. This is the true measure of a successful life, and a lesson Ming wished we all could learn.

Ed

“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but to all who have longed for his appearance. Try to join me soon” (2 Timothy 4:7-9)