Do you have any idea who these people are? What if I told you their names, the man on the left is Conrad Heyer, and the second is William Hutchings, would that help? Probably not, as I had no idea who these people were when I first saw them. These are actually photos taken of some elderly gentlemen in the mid 1800’s. Conrad Heyer was born in 1749 and William Hutchings was born in 1764 and enlisted in Massachusetts with the Continental Army at the age of 15. Both of these fellows lived through the Revolutionary War. Most everyone who came before them had portraits painted of them or just had their exploits written down for the history books. Today, we take it for granted that we can take hundreds of photos or hours of video in a day by barely lifting a finger. What will become of all these relics 200 years from now? WIll they be remembered any differently than these two old photographs?
O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Psalm 144:3-4
The more you see of people, the more you realize that people and the nature of man doesn’t change much from generation to generation. Technology and ways to interact with one another changes, but the people who use them are pretty much the same. We have ways of getting in touch with others by just pressing a button, but there are still many people who refuse to speak to one another, even if they live in the same town. Human nature and the problem of sin is a constant in every generation, and their potential fates are the same as well. Just walk through a cemetery some day and look at the hundreds of names of people you never met, and consider what their life may have meant to others, or even you. You may likely encounter a few others who you did know and have memories of life with them, but consider what they may be doing now. Will those memories live on after you?
For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25
How do you want to be remembered after your time here on earth comes to an end? You can strive to make a name for yourself here that may be remembered by your neighbors and descendants for several decades, but will that short lived glory be worth your life’s effort? Your days may have an eternal impact on others as well, if you shared the Gospel or discipled others as you made your way through life. Would you prefer your name live on here for a few decades, or eternally in the lives of others and in ways we may not even know with our Lord. Maybe that’s what Jesus meant by storing up treasures in heaven…things that will last forever, unlike the things in this world.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
Yours in Christ,
Clark
