What Do You Want Chiseled on Your Tombstone?

The recent death of a longtime minister reminds me of how we think of people’s character when we hear their names. God’s many names represent His character.

The Church of God recently lost one of its longtime ministers, Leroy Neff. Mr. Neff was remembered in Mr. Franks’ February 2014 member letter. He wrote, “There is no greater epitaph at the end of one’s life than this: ‘He died in the faith.’”

Occasionally it can be helpful to think about what we would want written on our tombstone or memorial plaque after we die. Epitaphs are for remembering legacies of people who have passed away. Epitaphs summarize how people lived their lives. The most important area we want to be remembered by is not our physical successes or job performance, but our development of holy righteous character.

Your reputation precedes you

When someone’s name is mentioned, we often think about his or her character (good, bad or in-between). The lifestyle a person has chosen becomes permanently associated with his or her name.

A quote comes to mind:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Our destiny is to become a part of God’s family. How do we do that? We must develop godly character.

Godly character

God’s sterling character traits precede Him. In fact, many of God’s characteristics are revealed in His many names. If you Google “names of God,” you can find millions of hits giving various articles and lists of the characteristics attributed to God.

I won’t attempt to give you a complete list, but Bible.org lists many compound names of God and explains their meanings as follows:

• Yahweh Jireh (Yireh): “The Lord will provide.” Stresses God’s provision for His people (Genesis 22:14).
• Yahweh Nissi: “The Lord is my Banner.” Stresses that God is our rallying point and our means of victory; the one who fights for His people (Exodus 17:15).
• Yahweh Shalom: “The Lord is Peace.” Points to the Lord as the means of our peace and rest (Judges 6:24).
• Yahweh Sabbaoth: “The Lord of Hosts.” A military figure portraying the Lord as the commander of the armies of heaven (1 Samuel 1:3; 17:45).
• Yahweh Maccaddeshcem: “The Lord your Sanctifier.” Portrays the Lord as our means of sanctification or as the one who sets believers apart for His purposes (Exodus 31:13).
• Yahweh Ro’i: “The Lord my Shepherd.” Portrays the Lord as the Shepherd who cares for His people as a shepherd cares for the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 23:1).
• Yahweh Tsidkenu: “The Lord our Righteousness.” Portrays the Lord as the means of our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).
• Yahweh Shammah: “The Lord is there.” Portrays the Lord’s personal presence in the millennial kingdom (Ezekiel 48:35).
• Yahweh Elohim Israel: “The Lord, the God of Israel.” Identifies Yahweh as the God of Israel in contrast to the false gods of the nations (Judges 5:3; Isaiah 17:6).

In this short list are traits of God that we appreciate very much.

During Bible study, we can pay closer attention to the attributes of God. A study about the names and characteristics of God throughout this year could prove very beneficial to us as we strive to grow in godly character.

Perhaps we could isolate one characteristic of God and really focus on emulating that trait in our life throughout the coming months.

What will be chiseled on your tombstone? It is certainly something to consider.

For additional information about God’s names, see “Names of God.” For more about building your reputation, read our Daily Bible Verse commentary “Known by Deeds.”

Susan Scott Smith is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in Texas.