To live is Christ and to die is gain

This morning when I got to work I was hit with the news that a dear brother that I went to church with passed. I was definitely taken back as we were all praying for his healing. Of course, now, he definitely is healed, but not in the manner that I desired. I got the opportunity to spend a good amount of time with Mark while he was in the hospital. In fact, I probably spent more intimate time with him in the hospital than I ever had before.

As I think about everything, Mark was definitely a testimony. He was a testimony to the grace of God, and a testimony of a life lived in worship to God. He had a joy and a zeal for life that no one can imagine. His smile was always from ear to ear. The scriptures are true that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and even in the hospital bed doped on medication, he still uttered "Praise the Lord." That was the confession of his mouth, because it was his heart.
While church services may not be the same, and I'll miss the awesome testimonies of checks in the mail and the provision of God and his "Woo!" and "Hallelujah!" I take joy in knowing that he is has entered into the rest of the Lord.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1Thess 4:16-17

Like Paul, Mark can now proclaim "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim 4:6-7). When someone passes we usually call it loss, but "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21). So we won't just mourn loss, but let us celebrate the kingdom's gain.