Ecclesiastes 9:5
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
I do funerals for two types of people. The first type of person is someone who lived their life for themselves and made no accomplishments, and when they die, there is nothing to say about them. The second type of person is someone who filled their life by making an impact on people. This type of funeral is much easier to perform as you remember how they used their life wisely to help others.
Solomon made a statement that I believe is a travesty. He said that the memory of those who have died is forgotten. This is a travesty, especially when someone has impacted lives for good. Those who have passed and have made an impact should never be forgotten for the influence they had on one’s life. Let me share some thoughts on how to keep the memory of these people alive.
First, you keep their memory alive by character. Nobody will keep the memory of a person alive by accident. The person who is gone cannot make you remember them or tell others of the influence they had on your life. You must be a person of character to bring up the memory of those who have influenced you.
Second, you keep their memory alive by living what they influenced you to do. I think of several people in my life who made a great influence, and I do everything in my power to live according to what they taught me. I think of Frank Melbourne, who was a missionary to Spain for fifty years before retiring and going to the church I attended as a youth. Bro. Melbourne was the one responsible for teaching me that the King James Bible is the inspired and preserved Word of God. His influence is kept alive every time I take a stand for God’s Word. Someone who has influenced you for right will always continue to influence others if you will choose to live what they taught you to do.
Third, don't be so arrogant that you think you know more than those who have passed. A great mistake this generation makes is they tend to criticize those who are gone instead of keeping their memory alive in a positive manner. It is quite cowardly to criticize great men who have gone to Heaven when they have no voice to refute the critic's foolishness. It takes a good man to be humble enough to know that you are building on a foundation that is already laid and to honor that foundation by realizing that without them, you would not be who you are today.
Fourth, you can keep the memory of those who are gone alive by telling the present generation about them and what they did to influence your life. Certainly, we are not to worship these people, but their lives and what they did to give you a foundation to build upon is worthy of telling the next generation about what they did to influence you. You will do yourself a great favor by telling about the good you learned from those who are gone to Heaven; it helps those who follow you to see that one can make an impact that lives on after they are gone.
Are you keeping the memory of those who are gone alive? Let me challenge you to be a person who is not so insecure that you cannot keep the memory of good people alive. Help them to continue to live by keeping their memory alive.