Philippians 1:20-21 – As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

THEME OF THE DAY. LEAVING A LEGACY. I was extended an invitation to be the speaker at a graduation ceremony next month. It was a gracious invitation and one I considered a great honor and privilege to accept. One of my desires in accepting the invitation was to meet individually with every soon-to-be graduate. I wanted to congratulate them, get to know them a little, and put them “on the spot” with two questions. So far, I have met with half of these wonderful young people. My first question was, “What are your plans after graduation?” Some had detailed maps of their future almost as precise as Google. Others not sure. And both positions are quite okay. My second question was more probing. I primed them by talking about legacies; of building one through life and leaving it when life is over. I encouraged them to realize they are daily writing their legacy whether they want to or not. It isn’t a matter of leaving a legacy. It is a matter of what type; good and influential or not so good and inconsequential. My question along these lines to the graduates to be was, “Based on who you are, your giftedness and talents from God, how do you see yourself making a difference in your world of influence?” I was basically asking them, “What legacy are you going to leave in your spheres of influence?” And I really enjoyed the dialogue and answers I received. I won’t share them, but it was encouraging and a real pleasure to listen to these very promising high school seniors.

So, what about us? What type of legacy are we making and leaving? For some of us, we are further down the road in the legacy writing journey. For some of us, reality is simply this; most of our lives are now viewed through the rearview mirror of life. But if that is so, and our legacy is something we would like to redo, remember, “The mercies of the Lord are new every morning” and we can start right now, this day, re-shaping our legacy. Now for those who still have a long way to go, Lord willing, in our legacy writing, don’t put it off. Life goes by quickly which means legacy writing will come to a close before we know it.

For Christians, we may reduce our legacies down to two types. We will leave a rich Christ-centered spiritual legacy of eternal value or we will leave a hollow, world-centered legacy of no value. And remember, legacies live on. Long after the Lord has called us into eternity, our legacies; the memories of us among our friends and families continue. In the Revelation we read, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13). How we live, the legacy we leave, will follow us. Well? What are we writing before our friends and families? There is no finer legacy than the one the Apostle Paul lived and left than in today’s scripture – “for me to live is Christ.”

Friends, the only thing of lasting value to our families, co-workers, friends, and neighbors is a life lived consumed and centered on Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters. Oh, we may be remembered as a good person, a giving person, a fun person, and even a loving person, but by way of eternal influence, only a Christ-centered person will do that. And what does a Christ-centered person and legacy look like? It isn’t religious perfectionism. No. It is a life of selfless denial of self, motivated and controlled by Christ’s love, that leaves a mark of Christ and His Gospel in every relationship we have. It is perfuming every relationship with the sweet fragrance of Christ as we obey Him, deny ourselves, and live exclusively for Him who died and rose for us. This is a legacy of joy and impact. And one each of us are privileged to develop. May the Lord help us with our legacies. We are writing one. Let’s ensure it is Christ-centered for His glory and the good of all people.

PRAYER: “Lord, help me to simplify my life to knowing and loving You.”

QUOTE: “Make the pursuit of knowing Christ life’s chief goal, and watch how such pursuit shapes every role you have.”