Are Legacies Passé?

Consider waking up today and knowing that it is your last day on planet earth.  What would you do with your day?  What mark would you like to leave with your friends and family?  Is the legacy you leave behind something worth remembering or are legacies passe (old-fashioned)?  This is the moment we all know is coming for each of us.  Some have the opportunity to think about it and do something with it and others don’t necessarily get the time to respond before they leave this mortal flesh.

I’m here today to say that, “It starts with me!”  Beginning today for the rest of my earthly life that God has blessed me with, I will consider each action, each comment, every breath as a statement to the legacy that I am proud to leave behind.  Would my eulogy read, “he was a servant of God” or “he was a phenomenal husband” or “he was a loving father”?  Or would it say that, “he really didn’t do much for anyone but himself”?  If you are anything like me, I’m guessing that you would want to be seen and remembered as a caring, loving and selfless person who would put others before yourself.

In a world that is lost and progressively getting worse as time goes on, we are faced with our reaction to what’s going on around us.  What will we do and what will we say that will leave a mark of influence on those we come in contact with?  There has been a recent trend in Christianity all around the western hemisphere saying that “it’s all going to be okay”.  I’m reminded of the sad turn of events in the Book of Luke (16:19-31) where the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers; “Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”  When we rebel against God, the message of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, and the active work of the Holy Spirit, we too will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10) to give an account for our actions.  I know that there are many shameful things that I’ve done with my life and how some of those things have negatively impacted others around me.  Praise be to God for His Son, Jesus Christ!  His atonement for my sin and the sins of others is the ONLY way to redeem my fallen state.  I take joy in the fact that it’s not up to me to save people.  I couldn’t save my brother from the darkness that consumed him and I can’t save anyone else on my own strength and intellect.

However, I can leave a legacy of the One (John 3:16) who can save mankind from the darkness and death of sin’s power.  I can, with the help and support of the Holy Spirit, live a life worthy of God’s glory, might and power.  “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)  The strength of God is inside us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, waiting to be utilized to leave a legacy of faith to our family, our friends and others we come in contact with on a daily basis.  Because of the resurrection of Christ, we can not be defeated by sin, death and the devil.  Because of Christ’s unending love for all people, we can boldy say that “it’s not all going to be okay outside of Jesus gift of salvation.”  I’m sure this statement confused you a bit.  I pray that you dig deeper into what that sentence means in light of God’s Word, His Truth and His Love.  Don’t wait to the last minute to determine what you want to be remembered for.  Today, my prayer is that you say to yourself that “It’s not okay to put my selfish carnal ambitions before the eternal well-being of others.”  May God’s wise and perfect guidance be the path we follow as He leads us to His glory and may our eyes and hearts be open to the joy it brings this side of heaven.  And may our eulogy read, “Well done my good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.  Let’s celebrate together.”  (Matthew 25:21)