As I have been reading through the Bible I come across things that cause me to stop and think, and that is precisely what we should do. The word of God is living and active and it has the power to change our lives. This little nugget in itself is not much, just a small paragraph in a long line of stuff about a man named Er. Here it is 1 Chronicles 2:3 “The sons of Judah: These three were born to him by the Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.”

That is it! Now I am sure you’re wondering where I am going with this and I am happy to tell you. Er’s name is recorded in the word of God which has been with us for thousands of years and all we know about him is that he was wicked. A bad seed. We do not get the privilege of knowing what he did or anything else, just that he was wicked. My imagination has wondered, did he murder, was he a liar, did he worship foreign God’s and so on. We do not know, we will never know, but whatever it was God did not like it and so he died. So, I asked myself, how would I feel if the only thing anyone is left knowing about me is that I was wicked. The end…We are all going to die one day, what do you want people to say about you? Have you ever been to a funeral where it was evident that the people were really struggling to come up with something good to say or something to say at all? Isn’t it uncomfortable and sad?

I have thought it over and here are some things I would love for people to say about me, not to be nice, but because they are true. She loved Jesus and was loving, kind, forgiving, helpful, honest, funny, trustworthy, patient, reliable, dependable, hopeful in all things, she was peaceful and a peacemaker, joyful, good, gentle, she had self-control, friendly, giving, humble, full of laughter, an intercessor hard-working, on time, easy to get along with and she smiled a lot. These are just a few things that I would love to be said, but here is the thing, I have to love the Lord, be surrendered to him daily and live it out in front of people. My walk and my talk have to match up, an not just because I want nice things said about me after I die, but I want to be that person. The person who is fully surrendered to the Lord, walking daily in the trust and confidence of Jesus. Being and living my walk out daily as a way of showing others Jesus and to live like him as much as I can.

I do not want my family or friends to be standing twiddling their thumbs trying to come up with at least one nice thing to say. It doesn’t matter if I were a CEO of a company, a brain surgeon, a millionaire or any other thing if I do not live my life surrendered to Jesus, walking and talking as he directs then those things do not matter either. If I am not born-again and filled with his Spirit then when my life is over “Hell” will be my home. Stuff in this life, degrees, money, cars, big houses is nothing. They do not tell the character and heart of a person. So, what do want people to say and how are you going to live so that they can say them with confidence?

Er was wicked, nothing else is known about him and my mind fills in the blanks. We all leave something behind, it will either be positive and good or leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. When I think back to my grandmother who has been gone for years, my mind is filled with such wonderful things she said and did. I am warmed just in the thinking. She loved Jesus and her entire life was a mirrored reflection of that love and devotion to him. Everything she did she did it with Jesus and heaven in mind. She may be gone but her words and her kindnesses are still remembered and talked about by all those who knew her, she left an imprint on me and so many others. I want that, do you?

When we read about Jesus life and all that he said and did, it was with the heartbeat of love in everything, because love is more important than being right or wrong. He did not argue, he was not mean to those who hated him, love, love, love…and it was what motivated his every move. I want to be a lover, I want to be like Jesus…if I am, then those I leave behind will have kind words and fond memories to hold onto. How we live, act, move and do matters not just in the here and now, but always in some way. God wastes nothing.