.Epitaph – words engraved on a person’s tomb or in a plaque.
"I have seen the promised land... and I may not get there with you. But I want you to know though that we, as a people, will get to the promised land... and I am happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the Lord."
- Martin Luther's prophetic speech one day before his assasination.
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"Get somebody to be able to say, 'He may not have reached the highest heights, he may not have realized all his dreams, but he tried.' Isn't that a wonderful thing for somebody to say about you?"
Martin Luther King, Jr speech entitled "Unfulfilled Dreams" (1968)
Proverbs for the Day (22:1):
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver and gold..
In the Bible, it is written that a good name is better than perfume. Now what is this comparison supposed to teach us? A good name is that which has influence and character … that which changes lives … that which has a fine reputation. Indeed, a good name is certainly to be preferred to that which simply has a pleasant aroma, that which will last but a moment (Swindoll, p.204).
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Many people avoid thinking about death, refuse to face it, and are reluctant to attend funerals. Solomon, the author of Proverbs, also wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:2, “it is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting.” He is not encouraging us to think morbidly, but he knows that it is helpful to think clearly about death.
It reminds us that there is still time for change, time to examine the direction of our lives, and time to confess our sins and find forgiveness from God. Because everyone will eventually die, it makes sense to plan ahead to experience God’s mercy rather than his justice (LAB, p. 1136).
Ref: C.R. Swindoll (1985) Living on the Ragged Edge - Coming to Terms with Reality.
Ref: C.R. Swindoll (1985) Living on the Ragged Edge - Coming to Terms with Reality.
