[Darris McNeely] Yesterday I attended a funeral of a friend. It was a beautiful day in the countryside. We had a gathering of family and friends to celebrate the life of a good person, a good man, a good friend, a father, a grandfather. We drove out to a country cemetery and there we laid him, his remains into the grave. And then the family gathered and remembered his life and reconnected as people do when they go to a funeral. I'm not only a presenter on Beyond Today, but I'm also a pastor and I had the privilege of saying a few words at the funeral to help the family understand.

And when you go to a funeral, you always put peoples' minds upon the resurrection and the hope of the dead, which is the resurrection—the promised resurrection that the Scriptures bring to us. There's also something thats unique that happens when you go to a funeral. The Bible describes that as the house of mourning. In Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse 4 says, "The heart of the wise is in the house of the mourning" (Ecclesiastes 7:4). And that is a true statement that you are reminded every time you go into a funeral home to pay your respects to someone and to celebrate a life and to grieve and to mourn. But it says that the heart of the wise is in the house of the mourning. When you go there, you're humbled.

You are reminded that we're all going to die at some point—that is a promise from God. We're also reminded that we should number our days and we should take advantage of the opportunities of life, relationships with people, family, friends that we have. When you walk away from the house of mourning I think the wise do indeed recognize that some of the problems that divide us, the issues that we have, the baggage that we carry through life, really don't make that much different when you come right down to that particular point in time. Perhaps that's one of the biggest points of wisdom to take when you leave a funeral home, when you leave a time of grief and mourning like that and walk away from it, move on with your life.

My friend was also a Marine. He had served his country in Vietnam back during the 1960's.  And he had a military honor guard, the family had that at the graveside. They played "Taps", they had the salute, they folded the flag. And as Marines do, they always end such an occasion by presenting the flag to the widow and urging the family and the widow to Semper Fi, which means always faithful. It's the Marine motto, the Marine code.

And that reminded me also of a Scripture in chapter 25 of Matthew where it talks about people appearing before Christ at the time of the judgment, Matthew 25 and verse 23 when one who had two talents brought his multiplied talents to the Lord and showed what he had done with his life. The Lord said to him then, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:23)

Well done, good and faithful servant—something all of us really hope is said to us at the time of the judgment when we stand before God. So, a lesson from the house of mourning for any who are wise and who will listen, be faithful, do good works. Remember your God and seek Him while we can. Semper Fi my friend.