Jump Start # 3704
Ecclesiasts 8:10 “So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility.”
There is a truism and a reality connected to our verse today that we hate to acknowledge. We live in a moment of time. And, it is just a moment. We would like for it to last on and on, but it doesn’t. We live, work, connect, leave an impression and once that moment is passed, we are quickly forgotten. Students of history who love to dive deeply into the lives of those before us can pull out names and events that most of us never heard of.
On the road recently, in a hotel, I caught a TV show about lost buried treasure. The episode took place in a Southern Indiana town about an hour from where I live. Back in the mid 1800s, a group of brothers robbed a series of trains. This is thought to have been the first train robberies in America. Caught and in jail, a group of vigilantes broke them out and hanged them. The loot from the train robberies was never found. It is thought to be buried, but no one knows for sure. I had never head this story before. It caught my attention because I knew the places where this happened. “They are soon forgotten,” is so true.
You might be able to pull out the name of your great grandfather, but most couldn’t tell much about that person. What kind of music did he enjoy? What was his hobbies? What was his favorite food? We may know a name, a few dates, and even a burial place, but that’s about it.
If time allows, the homes we live in now, will be occupied by someone else. The cars that we drive will be scrap metal. The treasures that we treasure will likely be trashed. We are here in a moment of time.
Now, from this we ought to see:
First, a moment in time can seem depressing. That’s all, just a moment. Most of all I do will be forgotten? But, that’s what everyone has, a moment in time. It is God who is eternal. It is God who endures through the ages.
Rather than being depressed, we ought to sense the urgency of not wasting time and doing the most that we can. The reason being, we only have a moment in time. In a moment of time, a person can change their lives around for good. In a moment of time, the desire to follow Christ can change the legacy of a family.
Second, although we are here for just a moment, and most of all that we do will be forgotten one day, Heaven will remember. The cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple will be remembered. I was hungry and you fed Me, would not be forgotten. Grace extended would not be forgotten. The seeds of truth that was sown through classes and sermons will sprout and although the sermons will be forgotten the roots that run deep in faith from those sermons will be enduring. It’s not the sermons and the classes that we want to be remembered, but, a faith that is deep in the Lord. The sermons and classes happen to be the bridges that allows faith to grow.
Third, in a moment of time, the good that you can do is good. It is not a waste of time because it is not remembered by others. How many cards you have sent through the years? How many meals have you served to others? How many classes have you taught? How many sermons have you preached? How many words of encouragement have you passed on to others? A waste of time? Absolutely not. Those things made a difference. They keep a soul going. They lifted a weary heart. They pointed the way to Jesus.
Lasting memorials go to just a few. Eternal memorials go to those who in a moment of time, have used their opportunities wisely for the Lord.
Soon forgotten…that’s the vanity of life. Remembered by Heaven…that’s the grace of God.
Roger