Will We Be Missed?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles, uncategorizedThe story is told of a man whose oldest brother had died. When the local preacher expressed surprise that he had not heard the news already, the man said, “We never had it announced in any way. He cared about nobody and nobody cared about him.”
How sad a statement regarding a person’s life. However, in 2 Chronicles 21-NKJV, we read about a similar man, King Jehoram. Early in his reign, he killed all his brothers and other potential rivals (2 Chronicles 21:4). He led the nation in the worship of false gods (2 Chronicles 21:11; cf. Leviticus 20:5), had a troubled 8-year reign, and died from a terrible, painful disease “to no one’s sorrow” (2 Chronicles 21:18-20).
Jehoram wasn’t missed when he died, because he had been a self-centered and godless person. The Bible gives Jehoram this short and tragic epitaph: “He did evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 21:6).
Let’s remember that the extent to which we care about our relationships — both with God and the people He has put in our lives — will determine how much we will be missed when we pass on. Let’s keep the following in mind: If we live to please God, and show love to others, we’ll be missed when we depart this earthly scene (cf. Acts 20:25-38).