There is a famous poem by Shelley called “Ozymandias” which describes the remains of a statue found in the desert.

The pedestal of the statue has this inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”*

Wow, he must have been a very impressive ruler! But hold on. Wait a second. No one remembers who he was or what he did!

As strange as it may sound, I find that kind of comforting. We spend a lot of our time worrying about things which, in the end, won’t last. So maybe we should just worry less.

Do you want to contribute to something which will outlast you? Do you want to have a legacy which endures?

Then walk in the footsteps of the true King of kings, the One who will continue to govern human history with grace and truth even after you have disappeared from the earth.

“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:28-29).

Be at peace. And walk in the footsteps of the One who will continue to govern human history with grace and truth even after you have disappeared from the earth.

By Matthew Ruttan

–[New] Announcement: After Monday, August 3, the Up! devotional will be going on vacation until September 2, 2020.

–[New] Recently I was interviewed by Todd Gale of Life 100.3FM, Ontario’s Christian Superstation, about my new book Turbulence. Click here to listen to the 5-minute interview about devotionals and the book.

–As quoted in: Scott Peck, Further Along The Road Less Travelled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993), 48.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.