Jesus Is

Ray Ortlund post:  #8 My dad's message to me on the day he died

Sunday, July 22, 2007.  Dad woke up very early in his hospital room in Newport Beach.  He knew it was finally his day of release.  He had the nurse call the family in.  Jani and I had just arrived in Northern Ireland for ministry there.  We didn’t know what was happening back home.  But the family gathered around dad’s bed.  They read Scripture.  They sang hymns.  Dad spoke a word of patriarchal blessing and admonition to each one.  He pronounced over them the Aaronic blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).  He fell asleep.

I asked my sister about dad’s message to me.  It was this: “Tell Bud, ministry isn’t everything.  Jesus is.”