In today’s society, there is a lot of emphasis on material gain. People are trying to make lots of money and accumulate as much as they can before leaving this earth but that is not what life is all about. I heard someone say they’ve never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse. What does that mean? It means we can’t take anything with us when we leave this earth. It also means that someone else will get it all since we can’t take it with us. Therefore, our focus should be on the eternal and not the temporal. In Matthew 6:19-21 we are instructed, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Why? Things will waste away but what is eternal will last forever.
As I get older, I’m getting more intentional about how I live my life. I try really hard to be careful about my relationships, interactions, and how I spend my days. While I was teaching, I would pay close attention to every child God blessed me to teach. I tried to make sure that I was showing the love of Christ to them by example. Although imperfectly, I work really hard to do the same for my own children and loved ones. The thing about love is that it transcends time and space. This has been evident since the beginning of time. Though Jesus’ physical body hung on the cross and died, His love and life live on. The same is true for us when we walk in godly love and live an authentic Christian life.
How will we know if our lives are being lived effectively? Matthew 7:17 says, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit”. When we live righteously, we bear good fruit and it remains for generations. Abraham’s family was blessed for generations because of his faith and righteousness. In John 15:16 Jesus said to the disciples, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name”. Christ died for us. Therefore, we are His fruit. When we live for Him, spread His love, and the gospel, those that we impact become our fruit. In return, they reproduce this in their own lives and the legacy continues. I want His love to rule my life. I want my children to be blessed because of how my husband and I lived before them. I want my students to remember the love and kindness shown towards them. I want every place I’ve been to be better simply because I was there. I want to leave a godly legacy. Do you my friends?
I want to leave you with some of lyrics from a song by Nicole Nordeman called Legacy.
I want to leave a legacy,
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to you enough?
To make a mark on things
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy.
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