My neighbor recently cut down a dying walnut tree that had become a nuisance. Even though the tree was nearly dead, it still produced a few nuts last year. I helped myself to a few of the walnuts and kept them for a while. After he cut down the tree, I decided to try the nuts to see if they were still any good. About half of them were still edible. I enjoyed eating the nuts, even after the tree’s demise.

This made me think about a verse in the Bible that talks about how we Christians bear lasting fruit. Revelation 14:13 says, “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’”

Our words and actions will be remembered by those who remain after we are gone. We have many opportunities to continue to make an impact for the Lord long after we have passed from this life to the next. Let’s strive to produce fruit that will last.