Pay the price, sacrifice, give your life, but don't expect your fellow earthlings to remember your labor of love. We all forget a lot more than we remember, and history books go out of print every year. In Washington DC, they're having to remove statues of forgotten heroes to make room for this decade's patriots.
But here's the great news: the One who matters most never forgets!
- 1500 years before Jesus, two women named Shiphrah and Puah helped rescue little Hebrew boys from death. History forgot, but God wrote their names in the Bible.
- Bezalel and Oholiab were craftsmen whose skill and love for God uniquely qualified them to construct the first Tabernacle and all its furnishings. They lovingly fashioned the Ark of the Covenant with a mercy seat of pure gold. The world forgot, but the Father remembered.
- The same is true for all those people listed in those endless geneologies scattered through the Bible. We have no idea what many of those people ever did for God, but He still delights in their names.
Ray Bolz inspired us all with that great song "Thank You (For Giving to the Lord.)" It really is fun to try and imagine how little ministries here might have a big impact in Heaven someday. And wouldn't it be fun to walk down the streets of Heaven and be thronged by people who were blessed by your life? Well, don't get your hopes up. The song is great, but memories are short.
Matthew 25 reminds us that no matter how many people forget, Jesus will remember the times we offered food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, rest to the weary. He will remember the deed because He knows you by name. The privilege of making Him smile will be worth it all.
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