What Will You Leave Behind?

It has been a few days since I have been able to post anything new here, and the reason is is that I have been busy visiting people in hospitals and officiating at two funerals this week. One of the members of the congregation I attend passed away suddenly on July 1, while my aunt was called by the Lord on June 27. There is probably nothing in this post that you have not heard before, but I submit it to you nonetheless. I hope you will give the words below serious consideration.

Our deeds upon this Earth most assuredly will follow us, even into death, according to the beloved Apostle John in Revelation 14:13. Tabitha Dorcas was a much-loved servant of the Lord by the people of Joppa. When she passed away she was mourned greatly by the disciples who remembered the tunics she had made so lovingly for them, and the widows tenderly displayed these garments Tabitha had made by hand to the Apostle Peter as the tears streamed down their faces in mourning (Acts 9:36-40). Today, while our minds are centered upon death, I want you to ask yourself, "What will I leave behind at my own death? What do I want people to remember about me?"
First of all, you will leave every worldly possession behind. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will carry nothing out (1 Timothy 6:7). Since we can take nothing with us, why should we get so wrapped up with worldly "things"? Jesus said, "If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26) If you gained the whole world for your own, what would you really have? You would have nothing that would be of any value in eternity.

In the hour of death, those of us who are married will also leave our spouse behind. What will they have left? Pictures and memories. Please do not wait until your spouse is sick or dying to express your love. Flowers are sent as an expression of sympathy to let the family of the deceased know that our thoughts and prayers are with them, even at this time of death. But for those of you who are husbands, your wife would appreciate flowers now more than at her death. For those of you who are wives, your husband will appreciate a few words of kindness now far more than rivers of tears shed by his tombstone. It was in the Book of Proverbs that we find Solomon admonishing his son to " . . . rejoice in the wife of his youth" (Proverbs 5:18). Let us not wait until it is too late to express our love for our spouse, for none of us are guaranteed another moment.

We will also leave our children behind. As God tells us in His holy word, our " . . . children are a heritage from the Lord . . . " (Psalm 127:3). What are you going to leave your kids? Money? There are a lot of things that all the money in the world just can not buy. One million dollars will not dry a single tear from your children's eyes once you are gone. Money can not buy your children new parents who love them. The most valuable things you can give your children are your time and a love and desire for the Lord. Psalms 90 contains the prayer of Moses who bids us to " . . . number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." We need to do that numbering when our children are young, for it will be too late when they leave home for good.

All of your friends will also be left behind. What will they think when they read your obituary in the paper? Will they be surprised to learn that you were a Christian? Will the name of the church be harmed because of how you lived your life? Romans 14:7-8 tells us that none of us live to ourselves, and no one dies to himself. Our actions have a great deal of bearing upon other people, and our influence is much greater than we believe it is. A line from one of my favorite hymns reminds us that, "We are the only Bible the careless world will read, we are the sinners’ gospel, we are the scoffers creed; we are the Lord's last message, given in deed and word, what if the type is crooked, what if the print is blurred?"

What do you want the preacher to say at your funeral? What do you want him to say to your family? Will he be able to comfort them with the hope of a future reunion in that glorious abode of the soul? Like Joshua of old, I know not what course others might take, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:14-15).

As the wise King Solomon reflected upon his own life, he said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole mater: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Yes, the Lord knows all about each and every one of us. It is only natural at the time of death to consider one's own mortality. I would encourage and implore each and every one of you to examine your own life, crack open your dusty Bibles, and if you find that you are not living your life in service to the Lord, then you should begin to do so now, for life is fleeting. As James, the brother of the Lord, said in James 4:13-14, "Come now, you that say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain’: whereas you do not know what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away."

Please, for your own sake, do not wait until it is too late for you to choose to serve the Lord.