5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. Philemon 1:5 (NIV)
A list of things that will never be said of me: “Israel, I’ve heard of your amazing height and how you tower over everyone else.” “Israel, I’ve heard of your awesome love for cats. The feline species owes you a load of gratitude for all your work for cat rights.” “Israel, we’ve heard of your fame and stories have been told about your amazing penmanship. Your handwriting is so much more than legible its art on paper. You do with letters what Michelangelo did with paints.” Why hasn’t any of this been said of me? I’m not tall, I don’t like cats, and my penmanship is an abomination. My point: It’s not likely that you’ll be famous for something you are not. Most likely things will be said of you that are true.
So what do you want said at your funeral? If you don’t want people to have to lie then live what you want said. If you want to be known for your love then shouldn’t you be more loving? If you want to be known as a woman of prayer shouldn’t prayer be a part of your life? If you want to be known as a man of strength and integrity shouldn’t that be how you conduct your life? If you want people to speak of your faith in God and your love for all the saints shouldn’t that be a part of what you do?
What you are known for matters to God. His word says things like this: “By their fruit you will recognize them…” (Matt. 7:16) “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” (Proverbs 20:11) “By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 3:35)
If a child acts up what does that say about the parent? Don’t make the Father look bad. Live right. A watching world needs to see the power of redemption. Transformation is not the act of the will but is possible through yielding to the indwelling Spirit of God.
Question to consider:
What do you want said about you?
What needs to change?
Explain the sentence in bold.
What you won’t hear at my funeral: “Here lies Israel Cruz: 7 foot 3 inch basketball phenom, feline rights advocate, and who had a PHD in penmanship. May he rest in peace.”
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