Monday, January 9, 2017

If you died today, would your faith be talked about at your funeral?

Hebrews 11:13

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Precious in the Sight of the Lord

One of my favorite Bible verses is the one that says precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Psalm 116:15), and they are in our sight, too. If you had to write your own funeral eulogy or what was going to be said at your funeral, what do you think it would say? What do you think they’d put on your gravestone? Your eulogy is being written today, day by day, in how you are living your life. Think of it this way: If you were dragged into a foreign court where Christianity is illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian? Would your friends say that you loved Jesus more than anything? Would they say you put Him first in your life? What would they say about you and your faith at your funeral?

A Living Legacy

Today you are living out the legacy you will leave behind. What happens today and every day of your life is being recorded by God but also is being noticed by those who know you. What things will they remember about you once you’re gone? What things will they say about you at work or at family reunions? What is it that will stand out about you that will have people talking about you, either for good or for bad? That’s something to think about every day of your life and why we need to redeem the days that we have and make the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:16).

Dying in the Faith

It is at least better that you have been born again since if you die in the faith, you have a far better country to look forward to (Heb. 11:14) and a place that God has prepared for you (Heb. 11:16). But your life today can be used to draw people to Christ or push them further away from Him. If you live in such a way that you love others, Jesus said that others will know you are His disciples (John 13:35), so it is an evangelistic life if you live it to the fullest in the love of Christ, and that means you love others sacrificially. That type of love is irresistible to a decaying world. The world has no hope, and you might give them the only true hope there is by pointing them to Christ. You can also bring shame to the cause of Christ by claiming to be a Christian yet living like the world. You will be most remembered by what people say about you after you’re gone. So if you were to die today, would your faith be talked about at your funeral, or would it be something like “he sure made a lot of money” or “he sure had a good job.”

A Closing Prayer

Father, I know that I am unworthy to be called Your child. so there is reason for me to live a life worthy of my calling in order that I might show them the love of Christ and live my life that would be pleasing to You, but I need Your help in this endeavor and pray for Your help in the precious name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen

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