John Chrysostom (347-407) was a church father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He wisely stated, “If you knew how quickly people would forget about you after your death, you will not seek in your life to please anyone but God.”
Solomon in all of his wisdom wrote, “No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them” (Ecclesiastes 1:11).
Fame is fleeting, and it doesn’t provide an ounce of solace on your deathbed or beyond the grave. So, are you striving for the applause of man, or the applause of Heaven? When you die, will you hear these words from the Lord: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Social media has a way of making certain people feel popular, wanted, special and almost untouchable. But it is all a facade, like smoke from a spectacular fireworks show that quickly evaporates into nothing more than a fond memory.
The Bible presents things as they really are: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). “No one has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8).
When you cross over from this world to the next, will you enter into a glorious future? Have you placed your hope in worldly success, or in the victory Jesus Christ won through His death and resurrection? (see 1 Corinthians 15:50-57).
Perhaps you have noticed how quickly people forget the dead. Why is that? Well, at the end of the day, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:24-25).
Where are all those people who lived on Earth 100 years ago? What has happened to them? Scripture reveals the truth about eternity. Jesus spoke of those who “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).
People on this planet are typically engrossed in the things of this world. But that is not the case for the billions of people who have crossed over to the other side. Their attention is now directed elsewhere. They are either consumed with torment, (see Mark 9:43-49; Luke 16:19-31) or overjoyed far beyond anything this world has to offer (Psalm 16:11).
What about your ancestors? Do you think about them? Each of them is in one of two places this very second. There is no third option beyond the grave. Heaven and Hell are the only two eternal destinations for every human being.
This phenomenal fact led Jesus to instruct people: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
It has naively been claimed: “Christians are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good!” How ironic. You see, the most heavenly minded people do the most good for others because their hearts and lives are directed and empowered by our Creator and Redeemer.
When you are gone and remembered occasionally by a few family members and friends, will you be celebrating the goodness of God in Heaven, or cursing God because of the punishment you are receiving in Hell for the sins you committed on Earth?
Jesus endured the agony of the cross in order to pay for your sins and mine. But if you refuse to repent of your sins and come to Christ to be forgiven, you will be forced to pay for your sins forever. “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
I hope you realize the importance of pleasing the Lord with your life, as compared to merely trying to please yourself and impress others. “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy” (James 4:12). What will you have to say for yourself when you stand before the Judge of all men? (see 2 Corinthians 5:10)
Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31-33).
This event is absolutely going to happen, regardless of what you think about it. And your belief in Christ, or your unbelief, actually reveals whether you are currently one of the sheep, or one of the goats. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14).
What about you my friend? When you have been long forgotten by the world, will you be enjoying the place Jesus spoke of in John 14:1-6? Will you come to Christ today and trust Him as your Savior from sin?
There is still time for you to be saved, justified, born again, redeemed and forgiven through faith in “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). But the clock is ticking, and you will soon be forgotten by the world.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
