Your generosity today will be remembered forever

Author:

Steve Johnson

Dear friend,

“Joseph who?”

That’s essentially what the pharaoh who eventually came to power in Egypt said. “Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done” (Exodus 1:8).

A long time had passed and I’m sure the Israelites told the stories about Joseph and kept his memory alive, but that is not normally what happens. What’s normal is what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:11, “We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.” Speaking of the dead he wrote, “Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth,” (Ecclesiastes 9:6).

The reality is that in about 100 years, like in 2124, we will all be buried with our relatives and friends. Strangers will live in our homes we fought so hard to build (if they’re even still standing), and they will own everything we have today.

Eventually all that we own will be unknown, including the car we spent a fortune on as it will probably be scrap! Our descendants will hardly know who we were, nor will they remember us. How many of us know our grandfather’s father?

After we die, we will be remembered for a few more years, then we are just a portrait on someone’s bookshelf, and a few years later our history, photos, and deeds disappear in history’s oblivion. We won’t even be memories.

In one way that all sounds so dark and depressing. But in another way, it’s a wake-up call for us to be realistic about what we are doing with the life we have. How are we spending our time, treasure, and talent given the short time we have on this earthly stage called history? How do we make the most of the life we have? How do we have an impact that lasts beyond a hundred years?

Someone once wrote, “Only one life, t’will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” That’s the answer to those questions. Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven.... Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously...” (Matthew 6:19–20, 33).

One way to store treasures in heaven is by investing in changing lives through the proclamation and teaching of God’s Word. That investment will have eternal dividends and be rewarded by the Lord.

When you support Insight for Living Canada and the Bible-teaching of Pastor Chuck you’re making that kind of eternal investment. The Word is proclaimed, countless people hear or read it, and life after life is challenged, changed, and transformed.

Do you want to make an impact that will extend beyond this life and into eternity? Can we count on you to come along side Insight for Living Canada with your prayer and financial support this month?

Future generations may forget who we are and what we’ve done, but the Lord doesn’t and never will.