There she lay. Her earthly labors were over. Her bodily tent had been comfortably tucked inside a beautiful, stained wooden casket adorned with a regal spray of flowers. Her days here were over, but her life in Heaven had only just begun for all eternity on Saturday (John 14:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:7-8).
As her pastor approached the podium, he read from Proverbs 31 and then described her life by two words, one of which was, investments.
An investment is “an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.” This dear lady, 83 years old, had spent most of her making investments . . . into people.
She invested . . .
- The gospel into lost souls of every walk of life not matter who they were, the color of their skin, or their lot in life.
- Time and energy in prayer crying out to the Lord.
- Time and effort in prayer crying out to the Lord for the salvation of her husband. God heard and answered her prayer!
- The Word of God into her children, her grandchildren, and her Sunday School class by her teaching and her example.
- In “throw aways,” people that others did not want to “touch.”
- In her pastor by encouraging him and praying for him.
I am quickly reminded of what Jesus said as recorded in Mark 10:42-45, But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus came, died on the cross, and rose from the tomb to make an eternal, soul-saving investment in any one who would receive Him (John 1:12). Barbara Chandler, a devout follower of Christ, made investments in others for the cause of Christ to lead others to Christ because Christ lived in her (Colossians 1:27).
I never knew her in this life. No matter, even in death, she made an investment in me.
What are your plans in 2017 to make investments in people, to make a difference other’s lives, to make those eternal investments? I believe it’s called laying up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21)!
From A Pastor's Heart 