#42 - "Leaving A Legacy" John 15:19 Each and every one of us will leave a legacy when we pass away the question becomes what kind of legacy will it be.
Ryan: "Take stock of your life and the legacy that you are storing up for yourself."
This last week on the radio I heard a DJ talking about an actor that had passed away over the weekend. He was relaying what people who had known and worked with this man had said about him, pointing to the legacy that he left behind. People had said numerous times that he was nice guy and that he was great to work with. The DJ said that there was nothing but nice things to say about the man. (Of course there was nothing but nice things to say about him, he just died, no one is that cruel!)
This got me to thinking about what kind of legacy would I leave? Do I want people to say that I was a nice guy? Do I want to be remembered as someone who was easy to work with and got along well with others? Of course, I would like to be remembered in a positive light, and who wouldn't? But more important than that, would my friends, family and acquaintances say "He loved Jesus. He lived out what it means to be a disciple of Christ. He loved others with the love of Christ and did what he could to show them what Christ's love could do in their lives." I hope that I am able to have things like this said about me. I am looking for a legacy that will go far beyond and far deeper than just, "He was such a nice guy."
Whether we like it or not, we will all leave a legacy behind when we pass away. The question that we have to ask ourselves, is what will it be? The great thing about this question is that we have the ability to determine what it will be by the choices that we make. All the little decisions that we make day in day out will add up to a legacy that will be attached to our name by those that we leave behind.
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There are several references in scripture (John 15:19, II Corinthians 10:3, James 4:4, I John 2:15) that tell us that we are not of this world and that we need to live our lives as living sacrifices. We need to remember that our citizenship is that of heaven and not of this world. If we live for the kingdom of our citizenship we leave behind a legacy that impacts others lives, we leave behind a reference to the one that we have hope in, our Lord Jesus Christ.
To live for the world is to live in sin. look back a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned the list of the sinful nature and contrasted them with the fruits of the spirit. We need to live the fruits of the spirit. Joy Peace, Love, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, etc...
This week take stock of your life and the legacy that you are storing up for yourself. Ask yourself if you were to pass away tonight, what that legacy would be and what kind of impact it would have on others? Ask yourself deep penetrating questions like these and then spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal areas in your life that need some changing or restoration so that the legacy that you leave behind leave an impact. Thank God for the areas in your life where you have already established a lifelong legacy and ask that he would continue to guide you as you grow in your faith.
Final Thought: As a jumping off point, review what we talked about a couple of weeks ago in the book of Galatians, chapter 5 verses 19-26, contrasting the fruits of the spirit and the traits of the sinful nature that are mentioned.
Posted May 13, 2007 | Ryan Is currently a student at Northwest University and is working toward his degree in Pastoral ministries.
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