Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

A Legacy To Pursue

2 THESSALONIANS 1:3 – We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

THEME OF THE DAY. A LEGACY TO PURSUE. I just finished meeting with a woman whose mother passed away a few days ago. I will be doing her funeral tomorrow morning. In the course of our meeting, I asked the following two questions which I always ask when meeting with family members prior to officiating a funeral or memorial service, “Please tell me how your mother is going to be remembered by you and her friends?” and “What will be her legacy?” To answer those questions, I was given a photo album brought for me to view. I heard many stories. I saw tears. I saw smiles. And I listened intently to how a daughter will remember her mother. After the meeting, I sat down at my desk, looked outside and thought . . . I wonder what my wife would say of my legacy if I died today? What would come from my children’s hearts and mouths? My church family? My friends? Then, I went back to ponder the meeting just concluded. Sadly, there was no spiritual legacy. Oh, there was the legacy of being fun-loving, witty, humorous, enjoying life, good parent, good household manager and a few other commendable traits, but there was no Christ, no legacy of spiritual faithfulness, of personal holiness, of sacrifice for others, of self-denial for the Lord and His people. There was nothing of eternal significance.

Friends, every day we are writing our legacies that will be shared at our memorial services this side of heaven and at the Judgment Seat of Christ on the other side of heaven. Remember, it is not “if” we are writing our legacies, but “what kind” are we writing. And don’t make the mistake of writing one that is all about this life. Don’t be remembered primarily as a dad or mom, grandfather or grandmother who was fun-loving, took care of the family, was a good parent/grandparent, had a great marriage, and maintained a noble reputation at work and in the community. Nothing wrong with any of those legacy traits but those are not what matters most when we are gone and remembered. The goal to be pursued every day by a Christian is a legacy of Christ-centeredness containing the two traits in today’s scripture – a growing faith and an increasing love. This is what matters; a life marked by a faith in the Lord that is maturing and a love for Him and people that is deepening.

So, how do we get there? How do we begin to live a life building a legacy, a spiritual legacy, the most important legacy, that will be eternally impactful after we depart this world? Two things. First, ask the people closest to you – husband, wife, children, close friends – this question, “If I were to die today and you were attending my memorial service tomorrow, and were asked to say a few words about my life and legacy, what would you say?” If the immediate answer is not something about us being Christ-centered, Christ-pursuing, and being Christ-like, we have some work to do and that leads to the second “to do” to build a life of lasting spiritual legacy. We must shift our priorities from living for this world to living for the next. Remember, we are writing our legacies moment by moment and if we want a Christ-central legacy, then we must start right now focusing all of life on Him. This requires hard choices, but right choices.

Yes, we are going to attend funerals and memorials in this fleeting life. Someday one of them will be ours. Think about the legacy that will be shared that day before our God and loved ones. Will it be Christ-centered? It can be if we start building it that way today.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to be known as a person of consistent faith and increasing love for people.”

QUOTE: “Make sure your life lived today is building a legacy causing people to think of Jesus after you are gone.”