What kind of spiritual legacy will you leave behind? What kind of impact are you having on the world around you? How will your family remember you? What will people say about your life? And more importantly, what will God’s assessment of you be?
We have just finished reading the Books of Kings and Chronicles. It has been a long haul through the sordid history of the people of Israel as they fluctuated in and out of faithfulness to God. With each of the kings, there has been a final evaluation of their lives. I can see it written on their tombstones: “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” Or conversely, “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” And then each king’s life has been explained according to how successfully or pitifully he followed God and served the nation. All the kings’ actions seem to flow from this basic orientation. Those who remained faithful to the Lord saw blessings and prosperity. Those who served other gods and followed their own sinful passions wreaked havoc on their people and ended their lives with personal and corporate destruction. Their belief shaped their actions. And that had significant consequences for their lives and their eternities. They left a spiritual legacy. Their lives have been recorded in the Bible (the most well read book in history) to serve the rest of us as either an encouraging signpost toward godliness or as a stark warning away from destruction.
I remember my father-in-law’s funeral. I was standing in the reception line with the other family members greeting the guests who had come. I heard one phrase spoken repeatedly about my father-in-law by the people who knew him. “He was a man of integrity.” My father-in-law was a stock broker so these words carried great weight. They were coming from people who watched his life and the way he conducted business over the course of 30+ years. They saw who he really was. Earlier in life, a colleague once told him, “You could be making a lot more money if you didn’t have so much integrity.” It may have been intended to deride him. I heard it as a top honor given him.
What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? Are you living for others rather than merely yourself? Are you teaching your children to know and love the Lord? Are you affecting the people around you with the hope of God’s kingdom? What kind of light do people see coming from your life? Remember Jesus’ words: “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,” (Matthew 5:15-16). Are others seeing God and his glory through the way you live your life? What will your tombstone say?
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