Who will remember us? Do you ever wonder? One study concluded that we will likely be remembered by two generations after us, maybe three, but not four. So if we have children, they and their kids and their grandkids might remember us, but their great grandkids would probably have no memory of us at all. How many of our great-great-grandparents do we personally remember?
John’s vision of Jesus in Revelation shows us that heaven will remember, even if earth forgets. I know that many different things can end our lives, but actually we have only two ways to die: in the Lord, or outside the Lord. Those who die in the Lord are blessed. To be clear, we have to be in the Lord to die in the Lord. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has passed away the new is here” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Why are those who die in the Lord blessed? There is rest for those who die in the Lord. One of the promises of scripture is an eternal rest for the believer. This is where we get the expression, “Rest in peace.” Isaiah 48:22 does not say, “There is no rest for the weary,” as we sometimes misquote it. It says, “There is no rest for the wicked.” Those who are not believers in Christ will not enter or experience God’s rest.
Notice the promised rest is connected to the deeds of those who are in Christ. As believers, our deeds follow us. In other words we are not forgotten. Nor are our works in Christ lost in time. After his great teaching on the necessity of the resurrection of the body, Paul explained, “Therefore brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
What we do after we believe in Christ matters. We don’t get to take our earthly possessions with us to heaven. But our deeds go with us. So let’s make today count. We build on the firm foundation of Jesus. Let’s use our very best building materials today so that what we do stands the test of time and eternity.
