July 26, 2010
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FINAL WORDS

What's your life investment?

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
 if you love one another.”
John 13:35

Chuck Swindoll has been a long-time friend and mentor.  Chuck is such an encourager; he loves to uplift others.  His keen insights on life and people have encouraged many folks, including me, to become more Christ-like in their character. I recall a story he tells about a man he greatly admired, Dawson Trotman.

Dawson wasn’t a great orator. He wasn’t a gifted artist or poet. He never scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, but he was a dedicated man who helped save two little girls. Chuck’s story:

When Dawson Trotman passed away he probably left a legacy of discipleship on this earth that will never be matched, except perhaps in the life of Jesus Christ Himself. He wholeheartedly believed in the methods of discipleship that he taught and emulated throughout his life. He died in Schroon Lake, New York.  He died, of all things, in the midst of an area that he was expert in. He drowned.  He was an expert swimmer.

Trotman came upon a tragic scene where two girls had apparently drowned. During the few moments he had in the water, he lifted one girl out of the water. He went down and got the other girl, lifting her out of the water and then submerging.  He was not found again until the dragnet located him a few hours later…

Time ran an article on Trotman’s life the next week, and they put a caption beneath his name. It read, “Always Holding Somebody Up.”

In one sentence, that was Trotman’s life-investment in people…holding them up. What a legacy!
At the end of our journey through this life, I wonder how we’ll be remembered… how I’ll be remembered. What will those final words say about us? Will we be known for our encouragement, our grace, our forgiveness, mercy, and love?  Will others see Jesus in us?  What will they say was our life-investment? How many will have come to know their Savior Jesus Christ because we chose to live out our faith day by day, seeking God’s perspective, enduring through trials, serving others and living according to His Word?

It is my prayer that together, and only by God’s grace, we might leave a legacy that lasts forever, that points people to Jesus Christ for generations to come. It is His will and His plan to continue the Good News to the very end. Thanks be to God “to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Gal. 1:5.

The Power of Truth:

“... Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1

“Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

“Love will last forever…”1 Cor. 13:8a (NLT)

Suggestion for Prayer:

Thank Jesus for his everlasting love.