‘A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.’ (v1) Ecclesiastes 7:1–6
Setting priorities is an imperative. As a youngster, I saw time endlessly stretching out before me. As I have aged, so the speed with which time passes has increased, and my endgame comes into ever-clearer focus.
An awareness of our mortality will immediately intensify our awareness of God or the void that exists where God fits best. All too often it is the challenging events that threaten our very existence that serves as catalysts to focus our attention upon God.
In setting our priorities it’s worth asking how best might we be remembered. For some, it is in the nature of their so-called legacy; for others, in the scale of their measurable achievements. Nothing wrong with either. However, the challenge I think Scripture places before us is the degree to which a deposit of God is left on this earth.
One of my favorite verses is, ‘Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away’ (Gen. 5:24). We discover that as we devote ourselves to living every day with Jesus, it is God’s fragrance and truth that is expressed through our life.
So often, it’s only my own momentary whims that people carry away with them. Then all they encounter is my fractured mortality. A missed opportunity to have lived as God’s witness. This is perhaps my greatest disappointment as I consider my daily walk of faith.
RELATED SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Josh. 24:1–18; Deut. 6:1–12; 1 Cor. 10:23–33; 1 Pet. 3:13–22.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: In what ways might you prioritize walking with Jesus every day so that God’s good name is indeed the scent that perfumes your life and impacts others?
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, help me like Enoch to become an expression of God’s grace in my life and work, so it is You alone who is seen. Amen.’
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