#1are You Leaving More Than A Tombstone? Series

ARE WE LEAVING MORE THAN A TOMBSTONE?... What about the dash? GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU! HE IS A REWARDER

--- BE BLESSED!BLESSED

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

This is part one of a two part series.

I. WHAT AM I LEAVING OTHERS?

A. When I was a boy my Dad would sing an old bluegrass song,

"I wonder who will sing for me? After I have sung my last song, who will sing one last song for me?"

B. As I have matured, I don’t want to discuss I am getting older, but as I have matured

I often ponder --- WHAT AM I LEAVING? AM I MAKING A DIFFERENCE?

C. Today while traveling I had a Christian radio station on and as I was listening there was a catchy phrase in a catchy little song --- I do not know who it was that recorded it, and I do not know the writer?

The phrase said ---

" PASS IT ON, PASS IT DOWN, LEAVE MORE THAN A TOMBSTONE IN THE GROUND."

D. There is a neat thought about tombstones.

There will be your name written real big, but on most tombstones there is a DASH ---the date of your birth, a DASH --- and then the date of your death.

You probably can’t remember much about the day of your birth, and the day of your death will hold little of your history ---

IT IS THE DASH BETWEEN THOSE TWO DATES THAT MATTER.

E. As a father I thought very little about my dash --- but as a grandfather I often ponder much about my dash, what memories have I written today? This week?

Do I give HOPE? Do I point others to the Divine Possibilities that come through the Cross?

II. THERE IS A GREAT QUESTION ABOUT BEING BUSY?

WHAT YOU LOVE --- YOU WILL FIND TIME TO DO?

A. IS BUSY OUR GOAL? WILL BUSY PEOPLE LEAVE MORE THAN THE LAZY?

B. Let me share an illustration about being busy?

Let us study two small little creatures of God that stay very busy.

1. I have always been fascinated with the LITTLE BEE and how busy they are.

Their little body is fat and short, yet the bee flies from flower to flower and does man kind a great service far beyond making honey!

Bees pollinate flowers and fruit trees and they do a great service for us.

They are busy!

2. Now let us consider how busy the little MOSQUITO is?

It is a busy little flying sucker! The mosquito ruins many out door events by biting and sucking blood and causing itching and pain.

They fly and fly and pester humans, --- more than that they carry and spread disease.

C. WE PRAISE THE BUSY BE!

WE SWAT THE LITTLE MOSQUITO, SO THERE MUST BE A GREATER ISSUE THAN JUST BEING BUSY.

D. Show me what keeps you busy, and I will know a lot about you!

Show me what you talk about, and I will be able to know something about you!

Matthew 12:34 --- for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

III. SHALL WE PONDER INFLUENCE? SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU!

A. INFLUENCE:

The act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command.

The power or capacity of causing an effect indirect or tangible ways. To sway.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE: AFFECTED BY EXTERNAL SOURCE.

B. Many years ago, rain started falling. The rain formed pools.

The pools started to form together and look for a path in which to flow.

Water always seeks the PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE!

As the rain water started flowing it cut a path, over time the flowing started cutting a pathway, deeper and deeper, until a river bed was clearly defined.

The water then becomes trapped, and the more it is trapped the deeper the water path way is cut and instead of the water defining the flow, the river bed defines the flow.

C. Your words have a great affect on other people!

Your words over a period of time will establish --- THINKING PATTERNS!

Your thinking patterns will be re-enforced by repetitive behavior ---until you clearly

establish attitudes and STRONGHOLDS.

D. A baby crawls and can get around, but the same baby will watch an adult walk and think, walking is better than crawling.

ARE WE TEACHING OTHERS THERE IS A BETTER WAY?

IV. GOD WANTS TO BLESS HIS PEOPLE! YOU HAVE THE KEY TO UNLOCK BLESSINGS!

CAN WE SEE WHAT WE ARE LOOSING --- THE INFLUENCE OF BLESSINGS?

Bless:

To pronounce words and actions asking for Divine favor.

To cleanse, sanctify

To thank or glorify

A gift of God by grace and mercy

Consecrated --- to be devoted, faithful, declare as sacred.