But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God. Luke 12:20-21 NIV
It’s been said in dozens of ways. “There are no moving vans behind a hearse.” “How much did he leave? ALL OF IT.” “Shrouds have no pockets.” “He who dies with the most toys still dies … and someone ese plays with the toys.” The point is, everything we spend so much time accumulating, caring for, and guarding will within a nano-second be stripped from us forever. The only things that last forever according to God, the Creator and King of Forever, are His Word, people, and then how we managed those two things.
Have you ever been responsible for cleaning out a home and managing the things a person had gathered and ultimately left here? It’s a sobering experience. If you knew them well, you would remember the joy they had in owning certain things or collections, the self-respect they felt when they were awarded the certificate that hung on the office wall, you will identify who they loved most by the pictures scattered around. You discover notes, cards, or letters that speak of personal relationships and plans they made for the future. You will have access to financial decisions both good and bad, to records on computers of the things they fed their minds. And if you are a thinking person, it can’t help but cross your mind that one day this will happen to you. One day you will suddenly leave this life, and as Jesus said, someone else will get everything you have prepared for yourself. Some of your treasures will be trash to the ones in charge, some will go to Goodwill or other charities, some treasures will be dispersed as you wish if you prepared a will, others may be cause for arguments and may go to places and people you would not have chosen. But you won’t care then. Your temporary possessions and plans are a thing of the past. The only thing on your mind then will be your forever future and your handling of the Word of God and people.
Today is the day to be thinking about the future. Are you making your deepest investments in what will last – joyfully walking in step with the Word of God and loving people as Jesus loved you? Are you investing in the people with whom you want to share heaven? That’s all that will be with you when you leave.
- Think about this: Your character, life and the memories you make with people are your significant legacy that can’t be altered the second after you die. The things you leave behind will tell another part of your story. Spend some significant time thinking today about how you should prepare today for that tomorrow.