Preach the Gospel, Die, and Be Forgotten
"Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten" - Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
A close friend recently reminded me of these powerful words, spoken by Count Zinzendorf to Moravian missionaries. His encouragement was simple yet profound: live solely for God’s glory, not for the fleeting glory of people.
These words immediately reminded me of 1 Peter:
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” – 1 Peter 1:3-7 NLT
I’ve been ruminating on these verses for weeks. So many today live for momentary recognition or fame, but God’s Word continually points us to a greater inheritance—one that is eternal. To be “famous in heaven” often means being unknown on earth. We look for leaders, kings, and saviors in this world, but we already have one, and His name is Jesus.
I’ve often thought about how the disciples must have felt the day after Jesus was crucified. Fear surely gripped them before turning to anger as they processed what they thought would be and now wasn’t. Perhaps they felt deceived, abandoned, and ashamed for running in His greatest moment of need.
Just because they didn’t know there was a plan didn’t mean there wasn’t one. In fact, what they thought was the worst moment in history was actually the greatest moment in history. Jesus would come to them. He would restore, minister, equip, and fill them with His Holy Spirit and send them out to declare His truth and His love.
Each disciple would eventually suffer and die for the gospel. They didn’t die famous, but that didn’t matter to them. Their lives were devoted to making Jesus famous, and they knew that their eternal reward awaited them in heaven. The same God who was relentless for their hearts is relentless for ours today. He wants all of us, and He wants us to remember there is only one place for our hope: not in man, but in Him alone.
For thousands of years, faithful men and women have lived this call: to preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten. And that is enough, because while man may forget us, God never will.
Prayer | Father, help me live for Your glory alone. Free me from the desire to be remembered by people and instead anchor my heart in the truth that being known by You is enough. Give me strength to endure trials, courage to proclaim Your gospel, and joy in the eternal inheritance that awaits me. May my life point others to You and not to myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A close friend recently reminded me of these powerful words, spoken by Count Zinzendorf to Moravian missionaries. His encouragement was simple yet profound: live solely for God’s glory, not for the fleeting glory of people.
These words immediately reminded me of 1 Peter:
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” – 1 Peter 1:3-7 NLT
I’ve been ruminating on these verses for weeks. So many today live for momentary recognition or fame, but God’s Word continually points us to a greater inheritance—one that is eternal. To be “famous in heaven” often means being unknown on earth. We look for leaders, kings, and saviors in this world, but we already have one, and His name is Jesus.
I’ve often thought about how the disciples must have felt the day after Jesus was crucified. Fear surely gripped them before turning to anger as they processed what they thought would be and now wasn’t. Perhaps they felt deceived, abandoned, and ashamed for running in His greatest moment of need.
Just because they didn’t know there was a plan didn’t mean there wasn’t one. In fact, what they thought was the worst moment in history was actually the greatest moment in history. Jesus would come to them. He would restore, minister, equip, and fill them with His Holy Spirit and send them out to declare His truth and His love.
Each disciple would eventually suffer and die for the gospel. They didn’t die famous, but that didn’t matter to them. Their lives were devoted to making Jesus famous, and they knew that their eternal reward awaited them in heaven. The same God who was relentless for their hearts is relentless for ours today. He wants all of us, and He wants us to remember there is only one place for our hope: not in man, but in Him alone.
For thousands of years, faithful men and women have lived this call: to preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten. And that is enough, because while man may forget us, God never will.
Prayer | Father, help me live for Your glory alone. Free me from the desire to be remembered by people and instead anchor my heart in the truth that being known by You is enough. Give me strength to endure trials, courage to proclaim Your gospel, and joy in the eternal inheritance that awaits me. May my life point others to You and not to myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
We'd love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments what God is speaking to you as you read these devotionals. If you haven't already subscribed to receive our devotional emails right to your inbox, hit the subscribe button below and invite your family and friends to subscribe as well! Thank you for being a part of our Opendoor Devotional Community. We appreciate you!
No Comments