Leaving A Lasting Legacy

“I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” – (Mark 14.9)

The other day I was reminiscing about some of the many outdoor experiences I had as a youngster, growing up in north central Pennsylvania. One of the places I remember frequenting was referred to by locals as the “power dam”, a man-made lake on Middle Creek near the Susquehanna River. We spent many mornings, evenings and Sunday afternoon’s fishing for blue gill, sunfish, bass, once in a while snagging a catfish or turtle, and on rare occasions, a very large carp.

Now the coolest memory for me was the rides across the “power dam” on my Uncle Jack’s airboat – a fast-moving, flat-bottomed vessel thrust along by an aircraft type propeller. I can still see in my mind’s eye the waves radiating out from behind the boat as it skimmed over the water. And while the rides seemed all too short, the waves that were created kept on rolling out long after the boat had disappeared from the scene.

If you've ever spent much time around water where there are moving boats, it's something you've experienced for yourself. Long after the craft has passed, the waves it creates are still making an impact. Our lives are like that. Long after we've passed on, the waves our choices and deeds have made are still impacting many other lives. It’s like the words of General Maximus Decimus Meridus in the move Gladiator, when he tells his men as they prepare for battle – “What we do in life echoes in eternity!” I love this quote because it resonates with a profound Biblical point: Life is short, eternity is forever, and our lives matter in the hereafter. But in our “now is all that matters” and “live for the moment” culture, it's easy to forget how much our lives really do matter and how long their affects last. It's about so much more than this moment. You see, there’s a world of difference between “living for the moment” versus “living in the moment”… living with eternity in mind… approaching life with an eternal perspective.

God gives us a powerful values-clarifier in Psalm 102.18. He says, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” Wow! That hits me hard! God focuses our eyes on the big picture reason for doing the right thing, because what you do now will affect lives that have not even been born yet – generations you will never see here on earth! Think about it. You and I are continuing to be affected and influenced by the choices previous generations have made, and to pay for choices previous generations have made. They've passed by, but not the waves they created. They are still moving and rocking our lives.

Now, we may assume that our actions and expressions are small and insignificant – that they make little difference or impact. Our key Scripture text declares otherwise – through God’s eyes. For instance, what we might consider small and insignificant expressions of devotion to God can hold great meaning and enduring influence in our wake. You see our love and dedication to Christ may make a memory or even create memorials to God for future generations.

The woman in our key Scripture passage (read Mark 14.1-9) performed a profound act of love for Jesus. She did not do it to impress His disciples or to garner public attention or to gain praise from Jesus. She had no idea that her story would be recorded in God’s Book for all time and, in Jesus’ own words, “wherever the good news is told all over the world, people will remember what she has done. And they will tell others” – (CEV). She simply sought to express her love for Jesus. She did nothing spectacular; she performed no miracles; she preached no sermons, she may not have even spoken a word! Yet Jesus was so moved by her selfless loyalty that He deemed it worthy of remembrance throughout the remainder of history. Her legacy has continued for over two thousand years, just as Jesus said it would – offering a blessed influence even through this Footnotes… she could not have known the rippling affect her single deed done for Jesus would create in her wake!

And like the woman in our key Scripture passage, we do not know all that God finds most pleasing, nor do we know what acts of our love He may choose to honor through our children and future generations. Abraham could not have known that the day he demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice his only son would be memorialized and would bless many generations who heard of his obedience. David could not have known that his walk with God would please Him so much that David's example would bless generations who followed him.

God can take your faithfulness and begin a spiritual legacy, making it a blessing to others for generations to come. You will never know until eternity all who received a blessing because of your righteous life. That is why it is so important that you daily express your love and devotion to Jesus. Psalm 102 goes on to point out the long-lasting affects of making God's choices your choices: “The children of Your servants will live in Your presence; their descendants will be established before You” – (vs. 28) Again, multiple generations whose destiny will be shaped by what we do now. Pretty exciting or sobering, isn't it?

So, think about it – the choices you and I make, righteous or unrighteous, godly or ungodly, will affect others, often times for generations. What kind of lasting legacy do you want to leave in your wake… what kind of waves are you making right now that are impacting your children, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.? What about that compromise you're making or about to make – is it worth it, in light of its long-range consequences? Is that taste of sin really worth the road it may take you down and the legacy that it may leave? Is that fling really worth what it may do to you, to people you love, to generations you may never see? How about that divorce or drink or drug? It leaves a mark for a long, long time.

Maybe you're tempted to return to the old you, but stop and think about generations that could feel the impact of that choice. Who you're dating, who you sleep with, who you marry, even who your friends are – don’t think those are just decisions that affect only you or only a few years of your life. Again, we are all still feeling the affects of those same choices made by people who went before us, righteous and/or unrighteous – when we were “the people not created” yet.

There's so much more at stake in the choices we make and the way we live than we could ever imagine. Things are being passed from us to others, especially our children, who will in turn pass it on to those they influence, who will in turn just keep it alive across the generations. I recently read a brief biography of a woman whose name you would probably not recognize and her story which most of would not be familiar with. She was a devoted and dedicated Sunday School teacher who, over decades of faithful service, taught thousands of children, more than a few who would become prominent influential world leaders. While she has been gone from this earth for almost 50 years, the impact of the gospel through her life is still making powerful waves around the world in the lives of men and women who have been influenced by those she taught – ripples, echoes, waves.

Before you go speeding into what you may be considering, would you think about it and consider the waves that your life is making? Make the choices that will cause those who follow you to bless your memory (like the woman in our key Scripture verse) and the God that you helped them find across those years.

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us, let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful. – Steve Green

“He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands” – (Psalm 78.5-7)

“All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn — for He has done it.” – (Psalm 22.29-31)

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” – (2 Timothy 2.1-2)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd