If someone
didn’t do something, people would remember him as the son of a slick lawyer who
helped a gangster during the Roaring Twenties.
Artful Eddie ran
dog tracks for Al Capone. He ensured Capone would win by overfeeding seven dogs
and then betting on the eighth. He had everything he could ever want, but one
thing convinced him to turn himself and Capone in: he wanted his son to have a
clean name—a choice that cost him his life.
Although
Artful Eddie never lived to see it, his son, Butch, was appointed to Annapolis,
commissioned as a World War II navy pilot who once downed five bombers and
saved hundreds of crew members’ lives, and honored with the Congressional Medal
of Honor. And finally, they named an airport in his honor: Chicago O’Hare. So now,
when people mention Butch O’Hare’s name, people don’t think of him as the son
of a gangster but as a hero.
Like Butch
O’Hare, my name was tangled up with an unpleasant situation and had the
potential to ruin me for life. I wasn’t the son of a gangster, but I was a creation
of God entangled by sin. I may have been God’s son, but I acted like the child
of the devil. And if something didn’t change . . . if my slate wasn’t cleaned,
my future would include a dishonorable name. Scarred with a lifetime of betting
on the wrong things, hanging around with the wrong people, and delving into
things that would be better left alone.
Christ did
for everyone what Artful Eddie did for his son. He squealed on sin and then
defeated it on the cross. Like Artful Eddie, Jesus’ cleaning of the slate cost
him his life. Satan delivered a death blow—but it wasn’t fatal. God raised his
Son from the dead and, in the process, gave us the option to live with a clean
name: saint. Now, others can remember us for our clean living and positive,
godly impact on others’ lives and the world.
When you’re gone, what will others remember you for?
Tweetable: What will others remember you for?
Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.
No comments:
Post a Comment