Leaving Your Legacy

Leaving Your Legacy

Read Hebrews 11. What do you remember most about Abraham, David, Isaac, Elijah, the Apostles and others in that chapter? When we hear their name, we associate certain traits or activities to them. That is their legacy.

When you go to a funeral, or hear of someone who died, what do you remember about that person? Most of the time, we will remember things they did more recently in their lives. We will recall how they lived the last few years. Occasionally, we might recall something from their childhood or earlier years, but mot times, it is the later years that carry the most influence.

When you think of the Apostle Paul, what do you remember most about him? Do you remember that he wrote most of the letters in the New Testament? Do you recall the most of the book of Acts deals with his life and ministry? We generally consider Paul as one of the significant pillars in the early church, especially in the context of reaching non-Jews with the Gospel of Christ. We don’t think near as much about Paul as Saul, the persecutor of Christians who went around throwing Christians in jail or having them killed.

One person commented that they weren’t sure they wanted to be remembered. Why would anyone want to remember them? I reminded them that we all have an impact on others. We live in a world of people and what we do and how we live does influence other people. We will often never know who or how others are impacted, but what we say and do is noticed by others and does influence them in their lives.

I say that to say this. What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? If you were to die in 30 days, how would you want people to remember you? Are their things of your past that you are sorry about, you wish you had not done? Is there something that you are doing now that isn’t the way you really want people to remember you?

Today is the first day of the best of your life. You have the freedom to live it in a way that reflects Jesus in your life or live in a way that hides the fact that you are a Christian. My admonition to you is to live your life so at your job, in the store, around the community, in your home with family and friends, people will see you and say, “He lives like one who sincerely believes in and follows Jesus Christ”. Live your life in such a way that people will know that Jesus Christ has changed your life.

If your life needs some work in one area or another, study the life and teachings of Jesus (Getting To Know Jesus) and let Him come in and change you from the inside out. It will be a powerful witness to who Jesus is in your life and leave a legacy in you that will be long remembered.

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