Have you ever considered or thought about what will your legacy be? What you will be remembered for, when you would have left this earth? Well, if not, it is time to think about it. If you want to make your mark, you have to set the right course now. What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind for your family and friends when you pass? The question is not if you will leave a legacy, because every man will. The question is what kind of legacy you are going to leave.
What will my legacy be, should be one of the biggest questions we wrestle with. It is a question that resonates on the pages of Genesis and Exodus. It is echoed in 1 Kings and Daniel, from Adam and Eve to Moses, Abraham and the prophets. It is also a question that lingers in the Gospels with Peter, James and John. The question is simple yet profound: What will your legacy be? The reality is that every life leaves a legacy – that is not an option. The question is ‘What type of legacy do you want to leave?’ However, you frame that question – the truth is that right now you are working on the legacy you are going to leave.
As you look at your life right now, what do you see? If you should die now, what will your family and others say about you? You see, my friends, your family will have left in their hands primarily that which you passed on to them. They will be left with your legacy – good or bad – that is what they will have. And the legacy you leave will become the legacy they live, and in turn will become the basis for the legacy they leave. The legacy we leave is created by the choices we make on a daily basis. So, the way in which we live our lives is very important.
Maybe the best example of what it looks like to leave a legacy is found in the lives of David and his son, Solomon. David was a man who, although he was far from perfect, is best known for having the kind of faith that could strike down giants. He exemplified what it looks like to have a repentant heart and was a leader who, because of his commitment to God, reaped the blessings of his Father in heaven.
And then there is his son, Solomon. Solomon’s story plays out a little differently than his father David. Where David made some mistakes, learned from them, repented of them and sought God through them, Solomon seemed to make all the right moves, at least at first. Instead of asking God for great wealth or power, he simply asked for wisdom, which pleased God greatly. He built the temple where the ark was placed so that God could dwell among His people, and God was happy to consecrate it.
Yet there is some foreshadowing in the early pages of 1 Kings. Every time Solomon did something that pleased God, he was reminded, “If you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever.” Solomon heard these words repeatedly throughout his life, over and over and over again.
Yet Solomon must have stopped listening. 1 Kings 11 states, “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter … He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 9:4-5).
Solomon was led astray, no longer loyal to God, and God kept His word, tearing the Kingdom of Israel from Solomon’s hands. Solomon’s is a sad legacy to leave. It started out well but turned sour. As David is known for being a man after God’s heart, Solomon is known for his unfaithfulness.
In 2 Timothy 4:6-7, as Paul pondered the end of his life, he said nothing about the education he had received, the places he had traveled, the letters he had written, the people he had preached to, or the churches he had planted. He made three very simple statements about his legacy. He said that he had . . . “Fought the Good Fight”, “Finished the Race” – and “Kept the Faith”. He wanted his legacy to be labeled as “faithful.” What legacy!
On the other hand, there was King Jehoram. He lived a terrible life. His brief reign of terror is traced in 2 Chronicles 21. To solidify his power, Jehoram killed his own brothers and other leaders. Then he led Judah into idol worship. The record tells us, “He passed away, to no one’s regret”. Jehoram thought that brute force would ensure his legacy. It did. He is forever commemorated in Scripture as an evil man and a self-centered leader.
One man, who left the greatest legacy of any man, that has ever walked this earth, is Jesus. Although Jesus also was a king, He came to Earth to be a servant. As He went about doing good, He endured the hatred of those who grasped for power. In the process, this Servant-King gave His life away. History recorded that, He lived an exemplary life – one of humility.
He admonished us, in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves”, and “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”.
Today, Jesus lives along with His legacy. That legacy includes those who understand that life is not just about themselves. It is about Jesus – the one who longs to wrap His strong, forgiving arms around anyone who turns to Him.
So what about you my friend? When it is all said and done, what kind of legacy will you leave? Proverbs 13:22 states, “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.” Will your legacy be lasting? Will it be imperishable and eternal? Or will you leave behind only tangible items – land, house, money, and/or possessions?
The apostle Paul instructed Timothy to invest his life in faithful men who would be able to pass God’s truth on to the next generation, and he is saying that to us as well. Where does God want you to invest the time you have been given? Ask Him to give your children a sense of purpose, direction, and mission. The challenge is to leave your children a heritage, not just an inheritance. From God’s perspective it is not our resumé or the amount of money we have accumulated that matters but, rather, the kind of life we have lived.
So, learn to live in such a way to leave a legacy that is greater than yourself. That is the kind of legacy that you should be seeking to the glory of God.
Remember: It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
