Wednesday, February 08, 2006

A 39 Word Epitaph

Josiah, a king of Judah, became king at the age of eight, began seeking the Lord at sixteen, rediscovered the Scriptures (a great story), and brought about spiritual and moral reformation in the land of Judah.

Josiah had a couple of "biographies" (which is essentially what the books of 1&2 Kings and 1&2 Chronicles are), but the best biography of Josiah is written by Jeremiah and is only 39 words long.

"'He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 22:15b-16)

If my life was stripped down to 39 words, what would be said about me when I die?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Man, that's a great question.

I love the story of Josiah (even named one of my sons Josiah). I pray to live in a way that lets God say something similar about my life.

"He followed my lead and I was with him. He cared for the young and brought the children before me..."

Rochelle said...

I went to church with someone who wanted his epitaph to be "Well done, good and faithful servant" I always thought that was short and right to the heart of what to strive for