Hebrews 11:4 – By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
THEME OF THE DAY: WHICH ONE WILL WE LEAVE BEHIND? . Recently, I was in a fellowship setting with two dear brothers. In our discussion, the topic arose about the encouragement Christians are to give to each other and the example they are to be for each other. One of the brothers and I had a mutual relationship with a dear brother who lived a long life of faithfulness for the Lord and a few years ago, died and went to be with Him. He left a profound impact on both of us. We each shared the qualities of this man. The legacy our dear brother left us is spiritually rich because he lived for Christ, was passionate about the Gospel, loved the local church, gave his life serving it, and his love for people profound, genuine, and impactful. His legacy is so encouraging, challenging, and led me to today’s nugget.
When we die, and we don’t know when that will be, how do we want to be remembered by our family, in churches, among brothers and sisters outside our churches, and throughout our communities? What are we going to leave behind as a legacy? We have three choices.
First, we can leave a sad legacy of a life obsessed with ourselves, full of selfishness, maybe equally full of bad decisions, and fractured relationships. We may label this legacy “A Wasted Life.” It will be regretful, remorseful, and cause much grief by having lived life so self-centered that people won’t miss us. Don’t think that doesn’t happen. As a pastor, I have done over 110 funerals. I know this is possible. I have been with families giving witness of this sad legacy.
The second legacy we may leave behind is also sad, but for a different reason. We may be remembered as being a delight to be around, full of fun and laughter; a real memory builder in both our families and social circles. We gave of ourselves in providing for others especially our families and are fondly thought of as a really nice, caring, and giving person. And it may even be said at our memorial that we were a great dad, mom, grandfather, grandmother . . . but what will be noticeably absent in this legacy is spiritual impact. We may label this legacy, “A Worldly Life.” Getting back to my role as a pastor, I have officiated over many of these types of funerals and they were sad. The legacy lacked investment in what will truly last and be impactful long after our departure – the spiritual legacy.
The last legacy we may leave behind is that of my friend. By the way, some of you may remember him – Norman Remington. He was my friend, my brother, my mentor, and one of the godliest and most Christ-centered men I have ever met. I did his funeral and it was a glorious time honoring a man whose impact continues – just like in today’s scripture describing Abel. Friends, the legacy that matters; the legacy that makes a difference; the legacy we must give our families, our churches, and our communities is a spiritual legacy. It is one that is produced from a life that lived all of life for what matters – the Lord Jesus Christ. When we die, the greatest thing which may be said at our memorials by our children and friends is “There lies a Christ-centered, Christ-loving man or woman.” Nothing else will matter on that day and we may call this legacy, “A Life Properly Lived.” And to get there, we must start today. Start living totally for Christ, His Gospel, His Word, His church, His people, His mission and as we do, our families, friends, brothers, and sisters will be impacted by what matters most, just like my friend and I were impacted by the life of Norman Remington.
Life is short. Dads, moms, grandfathers, grandmothers, brothers, and sisters in the Lord, invest in what is going to last for eternity – a life properly lived under the Lordship and guidance of our blessed Lord Jesus.
PRAYER: “Father, help me daily build a legacy that will impact people for Your Son long after You call me home.”
QUOTE: “After we die, the best thing we leave behind is a life lived for the Christ, His Gospel, His church and His people”.