“Your fathers, where are they?  And the prophets, do they live forever?  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?”  -Zechariah 1:5-6a, ESV

What a contrast that is set before us by the prophet.  All of the works of man will eventually fade, but God’s works and his word will last forever.  As mighty as many of the prophets were, they died.  Abraham died; Moses died; Elisha died; Isaiah died; our generation will die.  Yet, God’s word will remain; it will remain unchanged; and it will still carry with it the power and authority that it had from the very day it was spoken through the various inspired writers.  If Moses was nothing more than a faithful servant in God’s house, in what have we to boast?  Nothing save the cross of Christ.

How often, when we read the Bible, do we focus on the various characters of the story?  What did King David do next?  Will Elijah survive the attacks on the prophets?  How will Nehemiah get the people to work?  These are important questions to ask, but when we ask these questions, let us never forget that these men were nothing more than servants of the All-Mighty God. 

In turn, we need to ask ourselves just where we are placing the emphasis in our own lives and in our own ministries.  Do we see the ministries as something that we are doing?  Or is the ministry God’s and we simply have the blessing of being able to participate?  Do we conceive of ourselves as being anything more than an unworthy servant?  If we do, we are placing the emphasis on things that will not last (namely ourselves).  Let us seek to place all of the emphasis in our lives on something that will last forever, and that is God and His word.  And even though in the new heavens and the new earth, the written word and the law will pass away, he who fulfilled the law perfectly will be in our presence and we will be able to commune with the very Word of God face-to-face.