Dennis Abernathy

Now and then we hear newspaper reports about the death of a wealthy person, and when I hear these reports, I sometimes remember the story about two men standing beside a rich man’s casket. One man whispered to the other man, “How much do you think he left?” The other man simply said, “Everything.”

Well, of course, when we die, we really will leave everything. 1 Tim. 6: 7 says: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Job said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there” (Job 1: 21). Since we cannot take anything with us out of this life, why should we exhaust ourselves, amassing what we will leave behind? Of course, we must provide for those who are our responsibility, and there is nothing wrong with providing for the future (Prov. 6: 6-8). Nevertheless, it is foolish to spend one’s life trying “to gain the whole world” (Mk. 8: 36), understanding “we entered the world penniless, and we will leave it penniless!”

But there are really good things we can leave when we die. For example, when you die you may not leave very much material possessions, but you could leave your husband or wife the memory of a faithful mate and you could leave your children the memory of a good father or mother who provided for their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs. You can leave them the memory of a parent who set the proper example before them.

You could also leave the community where you lived the memory of a citizen who was honest and industrious, obedient to the laws of the land, and one who was interested in the welfare of others. And you could leave other Christians the memory of one who obeyed the gospel of Christ from the heart, and was a faithful member of Christ’s church.

Of course, in one sense all these things are not without cost, but in another sense they are priceless. Friends, this might be a good time for all of us to think about the time when we will die, and what we will leave our family, our community, and other Christians. “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me. Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them” (Rev. 14: 13).