February 26 How Will You Be Remembered?
Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous will be blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. ~Proverbs 10:6-7
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely. Their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good. Then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. ~Psalm 37:25-29
You may be sure that your sin will find you out. ~Numbers 32:23B
The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. ~1 Timothy 5:24-25
I think that sometimes we forget that we will be remembered after we are gone. We may not be remembered for long, maybe just to the next generation. That’s the story of most people anyway. Usually, by the third or fourth generation our history has been reduced to a few memorable stories. “Your great grandpa was a real character!” Only a few of us will live on in history books and have our names put on monuments, or buildings or highways, and, that’s okay. However, even though our part may be small, we can still have a lasting effect on generations for good or for bad, even if we aren’t necessarily given the credit.
The thing is, there are times when we have no idea which of our behaviors, for good or for bad, will have a ripple effect on others and thus into history. Observe the choice Solomon gives here: “The memory of the righteous will be blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” I find it interesting that a popular question asked of political commentators today is, “How will this event be remembered in fifty years?” Even those who ask the question are acknowledging that what happens today may be seen differently in the future and effect a future situation yet unknown. We view past events differently in our future because emotion, for the most part at least, is removed, making it easier for those who are examining our current events, their history, to be more objective. Also, information may become available that we do not have in the present that will shed a better light on the truth.
Consider, how differently Hitler is seen today then he was 85 years ago as he was rising in popularity in Germany. Yes, there were those such as Bonhoeffer who saw through Hitler’s veneer, but at the time, Hitler was seen as a patriotic hero while Bonhoeffer was seen only as an agitator. Now, so many years later, we know the truth. We know that Hitler used evil schemes and deceit to gain power and now, his name has nothing good associated with it. On the other hand, Bonhoeffer, who stayed close to God and His principles, is seen as an amazing hero of the faith, though he lost his life in the process. Now we can see that “Blessings crown the head of the righteous, (Bonhoeffer), but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked (Hitler).”
It is true that our sins will find us out, if not immediately, surely in the future, as how we live now becomes history. God is faithful to His promises and principles. The amazing thing about Bonhoeffer is that he didn’t set out to make a name for himself. He wasn’t trying to be remembered for anything. He was being faithful to his Lord and the Lord has crowned his name in our memories of him.
It’s the same with us. Most of us see ourselves as not very important or significant, and we’re probably right. But we just don’t know what we will do that will be remembered. If we remain close to our Lord, walking in His wisdom and remaining faithful, chances are that the ripple effect of our behavior will be toward the Good without our even trying. How could that not be so?
“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” (Psalm 102:18) May we live today so that by chance, an event of our lives today is passed on to our children or grandchildren, that it will point them to Jesus and inspire them to give thanks and praise to Him.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for our freedom to walk in the Spirit and by the Spirit. May we so live our lives that the people who remember us give thanks for our leadership and wisdom, and above all, our love for them. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: Find Us Faithful
Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the righteous will be blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. ~Proverbs 10:6-7
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely. Their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good. Then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. ~Psalm 37:25-29
You may be sure that your sin will find you out. ~Numbers 32:23B
The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. ~1 Timothy 5:24-25
I think that sometimes we forget that we will be remembered after we are gone. We may not be remembered for long, maybe just to the next generation. That’s the story of most people anyway. Usually, by the third or fourth generation our history has been reduced to a few memorable stories. “Your great grandpa was a real character!” Only a few of us will live on in history books and have our names put on monuments, or buildings or highways, and, that’s okay. However, even though our part may be small, we can still have a lasting effect on generations for good or for bad, even if we aren’t necessarily given the credit.
The thing is, there are times when we have no idea which of our behaviors, for good or for bad, will have a ripple effect on others and thus into history. Observe the choice Solomon gives here: “The memory of the righteous will be blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” I find it interesting that a popular question asked of political commentators today is, “How will this event be remembered in fifty years?” Even those who ask the question are acknowledging that what happens today may be seen differently in the future and effect a future situation yet unknown. We view past events differently in our future because emotion, for the most part at least, is removed, making it easier for those who are examining our current events, their history, to be more objective. Also, information may become available that we do not have in the present that will shed a better light on the truth.
Consider, how differently Hitler is seen today then he was 85 years ago as he was rising in popularity in Germany. Yes, there were those such as Bonhoeffer who saw through Hitler’s veneer, but at the time, Hitler was seen as a patriotic hero while Bonhoeffer was seen only as an agitator. Now, so many years later, we know the truth. We know that Hitler used evil schemes and deceit to gain power and now, his name has nothing good associated with it. On the other hand, Bonhoeffer, who stayed close to God and His principles, is seen as an amazing hero of the faith, though he lost his life in the process. Now we can see that “Blessings crown the head of the righteous, (Bonhoeffer), but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked (Hitler).”
It is true that our sins will find us out, if not immediately, surely in the future, as how we live now becomes history. God is faithful to His promises and principles. The amazing thing about Bonhoeffer is that he didn’t set out to make a name for himself. He wasn’t trying to be remembered for anything. He was being faithful to his Lord and the Lord has crowned his name in our memories of him.
It’s the same with us. Most of us see ourselves as not very important or significant, and we’re probably right. But we just don’t know what we will do that will be remembered. If we remain close to our Lord, walking in His wisdom and remaining faithful, chances are that the ripple effect of our behavior will be toward the Good without our even trying. How could that not be so?
“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” (Psalm 102:18) May we live today so that by chance, an event of our lives today is passed on to our children or grandchildren, that it will point them to Jesus and inspire them to give thanks and praise to Him.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for our freedom to walk in the Spirit and by the Spirit. May we so live our lives that the people who remember us give thanks for our leadership and wisdom, and above all, our love for them. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: Find Us Faithful
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