PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Use your life to influence others

I WAS AT THE WAKE SERVICE of a young person recently. While I was leading in prayer for the bereaved family, I was overcome with grief and had to pause for a moment. The Lord’s Word comforted me and I was able to continue a moment later. The brief incident got me thinking about when is the best time to make our exit from this earth.

Characters in the Bible had varying life-spans. Some died in the prime of life, for example, Saul, Jesus, James and Christ’s 12 disciples. Some lived to a ripe old age before returning to their fathers, such as David and Moses. The Bible tells us that the Lord sees the deaths of His people, regardless of age, to be precious.

In my conversations with the elderly or members who are in ill health, I have often been requested to pray for their early return to our home in heaven. Such prayer requests are difficult to accede to in their presence. We pray with those who wish to give thanks for life, to celebrate the endurance of a difficult journey, and even with those who are in the depths of suffering. However, if I were asked to pray with someone who longs for death, I am not sure how I will do it for it is a solemn request which must be dealt with prudently.

A respected elderly pastor once said that as we advance in age and when we find ourselves getting increasingly irrational and committing many mistakes, then it is time for us to pray for our Lord to take us home. This is much preferred to the dishonour that we may bring upon our family, our church and ourselves due to the infirmities of our old age.

The elderly pastor may have a point. As some have commented, the Rev John Sung died at a time when his work was at its peak and this could be one of the reasons why he is still remembered and held in such high regard by many today. People are even willing to overlook the faults and blemishes in his intense evangelistic ministry for the Lord during his short life.

Undoubtedly, it is the wish of all to have a long and fruitful life which is inspiring to others. This takes effort.

What I wish to advocate, however, is our opportunity to live. Life is wonderful and we ought to treasure this only chance we have in living. We can use our life to influence other lives, and we can also love and be loved. We need to remember too the promise of our Lord who gave us life: that in Christ we have received life everlasting. When our sojourn on earth is over, we enter the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and we will be with the saints in heaven.

When we feel that life no longer has abundance and joy, when we are in despair and all that we can look forward to is death, may 2 Peter 1:3-11 be our hope and encouragement: “Our Lord, according to His divine power, has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness … ”

The Rev Dr Chong Chin Chung is the President of the Chinese Annual Conference.

QUOTE:

WONDERFUL LIFE

“Life is wonderful and we ought to treasure this only chance we have in living …  We need to remember too the promise of our Lord who gave us life: that in Christ we have received life everlasting.”