How Will You Be Remembered?

4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,7so that you became an example to all the believers… ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:4-7a

While going through my great-grandmother’s scrapbook of her many memories throughout her life, I am drawn to the colorful reporting by the newspaper articles she had saved – especially how the obituaries were worded. Some of her friends and relatives were very active in their church and recounted in detail how they had served in many various capacities within their church and their communities as they served others to “promote the good of the cause.” This cause was spreading the love and message of Jesus Christ to bring others into fellowship with Him.

We, as Christians, are all called to this very purpose – to serve others and be examples of Jesus Christ in the world around us today. By being examples of His love and care for others, we may draw those not yet in a relationship with Him to a new life in Christ. We must also remember that it is not our work, but our allowing the work of the Holy Spirit within us to be a transforming force to the world in which we now live. By allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us, we may also be remembered for the love and service we were able to share as vessels of God’s ultimate plan while we were allowed to remain here in this life.

We must ask ourselves how we can serve within our church, community and the world around us. Every one of us has a God-given gift provided to us by the Holy Spirit. We can do all types of tasks to carry the message and love of Christ to all “corners” of the world today. Tasks as simple as extending a word of care in the form of a card or letter to those in prison or who are ailing, to as self-less and labor-intensive as becoming a missionary in a foreign land can be performed by those to whom the Holy Spirit fills with the ability to achieve these acts of love in the name of Christ. Once we find the task that we are being called to do, we must act to carry out the task as long as God allows us the ability during our lifetime by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us.

Prayer

Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the Holy Spirit that you have given to us to enable us to serve You with the gifts You have blessed us with. May we always strive to serve You with these gifts by allowing Your Spirit to work within us and through us to bring Your love and message to all. May our service for You be what is remembered about us once we leave this world to join You in Your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

~ Wendy Miller