I have been listening to a sermon series on Malachi lately. It has been a great series. I do love listening to preachers go through entire books of the Bible. In the fourth sermon in this series, I heard something that I had to take note of.
You cannot hand off a legacy of faith that you don’t have.
What will my legacy be? Am I thinking long term towards how and where my kids will serve the Lord? Am I thinking about my grandchildren and the generations after them? What will my legacy be in my family line?
James 4:14 – You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.
Our lives are short and we are foreigners and exiles here on earth. We are only here temporarily so what will our legacy be? What will be the long term effect your life has for God’s glory and the advancement of His kingdom? Every day we have the opportunity to influence someone. Are we the light that brings them to Jesus?
One of the daily tasks I have is “Think LONG Term”. This is a very difficult task. I am looking at goals for my life and business for February and 2014. I am looking at life and business goals for 3-5 years out. I am looking at family goals for my children 10 years out and further. But those always have to be brought back in line with what is happening now and modified based on current realities. The amount of data required to accurately develop the legacy that you want is astronomical.
Then I break down and pray for peace. I pray for strength, reliance, wisdom, and so much more. Seeking out a legacy based upon some action I can perform is crazy when I really just need prayer. Does this mean my planning was in vain? No, it means that I was becoming self-reliant and I need to step back and realize God will guide me through the process of building a legacy so that He gets the glory. This will not be based upon anything I do but what He does through me.
1 Corinthians 15:10 – But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Praise the Lord.