Th.7.23.15...How Do You Want to be Remembered?...Eccles.7:1-14

"A good name is better than fine perfume, 

and the day of death better than the day of birth

It is better to go to a house of mourning than go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man" Eccles.7:1-2.

It's vital to have a good name both here and in the hereafter. One day you will die and so will I. Going to a wake is a good reminder of that date with destiny that we shall have. Perhaps our funeral won't be as well attended as Chris Kyle's was as we saw in yesterday's blog. But it would be good now to think about what that day will be like. Chris Kyle, in his autobiography, "American Sniper" reflected on the day of his death. "I am a strong Christian. Not a perfect one- not close. But I strongly believe in God, Jesus, and the Bible. When I die, God is going to hold me accountable for everything I've done on earth. He may hold me back until last and run everybody else through the line, because it will take so long to go over all my sins...I believe the fact that I've accepted Jesus as my savior will be my salvation. But in that backroom or whatever it is when God confronts me with my sins, I do not believe any of the kills I had during the war will be among them. Everyone I shot was evil. I had good cause on every shot. They all deserved to die." 

Kyle is credited with 160 kill shots during his four tours in Iraq as a Navy SEAL. "Because of his track record as a marksman during his deployment to Ramadi, the insurgents named him Shaitan Ar-Ramadi (English: 'The Devil of Ramadi'), and put a $21,000 bounty on his head that was later increased to $80,000. They posted signs highlighting the cross on his arm as a means of identifying him.^[3][14] In his book, "American Sniper", Kyle describes his longest successful shot ever: in 2008, outside Sadr City, he killed an insurgent about to fire a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) at a U.S. Army convoy with "a straight-up luck shot" from his McMillan Tac-338 sniper rifle from about 2,100 yards (1.2 miles) away." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kyle. He saved many fellow soldiers lives and they loved and admired him for it.

What was it that Navy SEALs adorned Chris Kyle's coffin with?
It was their Trident pin that they earned by becoming a Navy SEAL.

Navy SEALs have such a good name. To become a Navy SEAL (SEa Air, Land), each man must complete BUD/S training- Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training. "Candidates who have made a full commitment to their goal of becoming a SEAL and those who decide ahead of time that quitting is not an option, regardless of how challenging the training becomes, dramatically increase their chances." (http://sofrep.com/navy-seals/become-navy-seal/#ixzz3fY6rhtdj)

I like that a lot. They decided ahead of time that quitting was not an option. That reminds me of one of those "Pass It On" billboards and bus stop signs I saw recently-  

I think our Father in heaven would say the same- "Don't much like quitters, son." That's not the way to gain a good name.  We began by quoting from our reading today- "A good name is better than fine perfume...Eccles.7:1. Since I don't much like quitters or perfume on a man, I like much better how Solomon described a man with a good name in Prov.22:1- "A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." I want a good name. I want to be good and faithful, not a quitter. 

Aren't you glad Christ wasn't a quitter?! We would all be doomed if he quit in the garden of Gethsemane. We so admire him because he didn't quit. Despite the horrors ahead of him he prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done...And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" Luke 22:42,44. Because He didn't quit, he now has more than a good name. He has a name above all other names! (see Phil.2:8-9)

Perhaps you've met people who have quit pursuing the will of God. They may have stopped going to church altogether, or maybe they have become merely Sunday morning spectators. Their good name has become tarnished. If they continue on this quitters course, no hero's funeral or heavenly celebration will await them. We don't know what lies from the enemy may have led them to coast or quit fighting. I don't think it is tough times in themselves that cause a person to quit. It is a lie they believe. No amount of torture in a Japanese prison camp could cause Louie Zamperini to become a quitter. He remained unbroken. (What an inspiring movie Unbroken was!) What a good name he gained, especially since he came to Christ after the war. Don't be a quitter. Be unbroken. Be unstoppable.

1.- In light of the day of our death and the good name we want to maintain, think soberly with me right now. What do you think the enemy might seek to use to get you to quit the mission and battle we are in? 

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. We can be far better prepared to deal with those enemies who have "put a bounty on our heads" to take us out of the fight. Do what Chris Kyle did- put them to death, spiritually of course, Col.3:5.

2.- Read through the first half of Ecclesiastes chapter 7, verses 1-14, and pick a verse and share some of your thoughts regarding it. 

Speaking of good names, did you know that many believers misname Ecclesiastes? They call it Ecclesiasticus, which is actually the name of an apocryphal book in the Catholic Bible. Easy mistake. For those who want to learn more about Ecclesiasticus, here's a link to a short article about it from Got Questions- http://www.gotquestions.org/book-of-Ecclesiasticus.html

Armando took an opportunity to give out a Greatest Mini-movies card again. Here's what he wrote- "Today I gave a mini-movie card to a co-worker who said he will watch it and said to me, "There's a purpose to this." He also said that the Lord works in mysterious ways." Way to go Armando!

What does the survivor of a Nazi death camp have to do with finding meaning in life? Find out tomorrow :)

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