WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?

Becky, Shane, and I back in the 80's visited the home of Elvis at Graceland, right out of Memphis, Tennessee. Even today so many years after his death, the crowds of people that take the tour and listen to his life’s storyline are amazing. The sad thing is, the story will never change, because he has lived his life and what he has achieved, whether good or bad, will be told over and over again for all eternity.

What will your legacy be? What story will be told about your life after you have lived and died? Will it be something that God will be proud of? If your answer is "no" and you are still alive, you can change your future. However, you must make the choice to change the outcome which will mean making a decision to live totally dedicated to God.

What kind of legacy will you and your mate leave? Will it be lasting? Will it be imperishable and eternal? Or will you leave behind only tangible items such as buildings, 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. Where does God want you and your mate to invest the time you have been given?

-Fear the Lord and obey Him. Your legacy begins in your heart, in your relationship with God. Psalm 112:1-2 reads: "How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed."

-Recognize the world's needs and respond with compassion and action. In Matthew 9:36 we read: "And seeing the multitudes. He [Jesus] felt compassion for them." You and your mate need to leave a legacy by being committed to doing something about our world. Many Christians today are walking in the middle of the road; they're so focused on what other people think that they are unwilling to take any risks in order to make an impact for Christ. In light of this, Jamie Buckingham wrote, "The problem with Christians today is that no one wants to kill them anymore."

This year thirty million people will die without hearing the name of Christ. Hundreds of millions will pray to idols. Someone needs to reach these people with the Good News.

John F. Kennedy, in Profiles in Courage, described the need for courageous people: "Some men show courage throughout the whole of their lives. Others sail with the wind until the decisive moment when their conscience and events propel them into the center of the storm." If you want to leave a lasting legacy, you need to act with courage to reach out to those in need.

-Pray as a couple that God will use you to accomplish His purposes. As recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez prayed, "Oh that Thou wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Thy hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldst keep me from harm."

What did Jabez ask God to do? Bless him. Give him new turf and enlarge his sphere of influence. Keep him from temptation. Stay with him. Pray this prayer with your mate, and at the end of the year, see how different your lives will be.

-Help your mate be a better steward of his gifts and abilities. Help your spouse recognize how God has used his gifts and abilities in the past.

Help them plug into the local church, which needs committed laymen and women who have strong, godly character and a vision for their communities.

Help them recognize his convictions. Thomas Carlyle says, "Conviction is worthless until it can convert itself into daily conduct." Help your mate determine what he is willing to die for so he can ultimately determine what he can live for.

-Ask God to give your children a sense of purpose, direction, and mission. The challenge here is to leave your children a heritage, not just an inheritance. As someone once said, "Our children are messengers we send to a time we will not see."