Goodbye?

Goodbye?

If you have ever been asked to say a few words at a memorial service, you very well know how difficult, yet important, it can be. The Bible contains very little that corresponds to our modern day eulogy. Yet Jesus paid a great tribute to John the Baptist when he faced the looming threat of execution by King Herod. From prison, John sent his disciples to confirm the identity of Jesus the Messiah (Matt. 11:2). In this scripture Jesus talked with them, then told the listening crowd, "Among those born of women that has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt.11:11).

Jesus' tribute captured the essence of the desert-dwelling, straight-preaching John, who was maligned and misunderstood as he prepared the way for the Son of God. John's greatness was more than personal; it was wrapped up in the kingdom of God. He wrote his own eulogy by the way he carried himself.

Stop and think of what we might say about others at their passing, it is also good to ask, What will people day about me when it's my time to exit this old world? The way we live our lives each day makes up our eulogy. Living for the Lord today leaves a lasting legacy when we are gone.