Will You Matter After You Are Gone?

    Saparmurat Niyazov served as president of the former Soviet block nation, Turkmenistan, from 1990 until his death in 2006. While his title was “President”, he changed the title to “President for Life”, declaring it to be a lifelong position with no need for ongoing elections, also making him the nation’s dictator. He was eccentric, to say the least, and made sweeping senseless legal changes at every whim. Among other things, he banned keeping dogs in the capital city, along with opera, ballet, makeup, lip-syncing and gold teeth.
    He was also the epitome of pride. He replaced the traditional names for the months and days, renaming them for himself, his mother and the rest of his family. He named towns, schools, airports and a meteorite after himself. Today, six years after his death, Most of those senseless laws have been reversed, the calendar has been changed back to its traditional names, and many of his other namesakes have also been renamed. Few politicians and government officials will mention his memory in public, for fear of being associated with him.
    We all crave significance. I believe it is a God-given drive to want our lives to matter. But Niyazov, like many others, went about this striving for significance in the completely wrong way. By building ourselves up, we limit our lasting influence and relegate our lives to near meaninglessness.
    Jesus taught the opposite. He taught that the way to achieve significance is by putting others’ interests ahead of our own; that the way up is down; the way to be exalted is by being humble. We impact eternity by becoming the servant of God and others.
    Jesus not only taught this principle, he lived it. Read what Paul said in regards to Jesus’ example: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11 ESV).
    Paul used Jesus as an example to make this point: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4 ESV).
    You want your life to matter. You want your life to mean something after you are gone. Of course you do! God created us with this drive. But our sin nature deceives us into thinking that significance is achieved through personal ambition. Biblical Christianity teaches that the opposite is true.
    You want your life to matter. So find God’s special place where you can pour yourself into impacting eternity by becoming a servant. And in doing so, truly following Jesus! Be a servant and your influence will outlast your life.
    “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” – Jesus (Matthew 16:24 NLT).