Tuesday, September 16, 2014

When you die what would you want the epitaph to say on your tombstone? An epitaph is an inscription on a tomb in memory of the person buried there. It is a short statement written as a tribute to a dead person. My choice would be what was said of a person while he was still with those who said it. It was not inscribed on a tomb, but is found in the pages of God’s inspired and eternal Word, the Bible. Acts 11:24, in referring to Barnabas, says, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Repeat it with me: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Let me share with you some of the thoughts that developed in my mind as I tried to comprehend what led to that description of a man. As I thought about it I was reminded of our study of Mark 13:32-36. Jesus used an illustration while talking about being prepared for the return of the Lord: “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.” Everyone who has trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord has an assigned task. We should be diligent in fulfilling it and guard against falling asleep on the job! Barnabas was a faithful servant, fulfilling his assigned task. Over the next few visits I would like to expand on what this looked like in the life of the one in this impact statement: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” I trust that what we learn from his example will inspire us to discover our assigned task and trust in God to enable us to faithfully fulfill it.