Be Remembered

“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20

In the last season of a man’s life his mind begins an internal audit.  He will ask himself the question, “Did I do anything of significance?  Will I be remembered?”

You can spend your life accumulating things – we certainly have a lot of stuff available to us.  You can christen your boat with your name and sail off into the sunset.  You may even name a foundation after yourself and give all of your money away.  Whatever the case, you will only have significance in what is eternal.  Everything is else is summed up in Solomon’s conclusion, “Everything is vanity.”

Only that which is invested in the living is eternal and only man will live eternally.  This earth will pass away.  Only man will step out of this life and into the eternal realm.  At the core of our activity on earth is the reality that we will only be remembered by the people who share our story.

At the very heart of the philanthropic man is being significant.  Significance is much greater than success.  Jesus said, “moth and rust destroy, thieves steal.”  It is all meaninglessness if we do not invest in the eternal.

As Leroy Landhuis said, “We’re all going to die, and you want to make sure you’ve invested your life wisely.”

KEYS TO ETERNAL GIVING

• Start small.
• Invest regularly.
• Investigate the charity.
• Invest smartly.
• Make sure that the money solves a systemic problem.
• Invest more in people than in buildings.
• Evaluate your giving regularly.
• Keep a relationship with the recipient organization.
• Keep a giving journal.
• Don’t just do it for tax benefits.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Give something to someone today.