Issue 1175 – Legacy – June 13, 2023
Yesterday I was blessed to speak to the Legacy Builders. They are a group of seniors working to build and leave legacies that brings glory to God even after they have gone onto Glory. I’m not talking about financial gifts, but legacies made face to face.
I spoke on building into the lives of others coming behind us by sharing how God is working in our lives today. Often we want to share how we want to share the “big moments” that happened in our past, forgetting that to younger people, especially teens and younger, 20 years or more ago is ancient history and incomprehensible.
There are young adults running around to whom 911 was in the stone age, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and other huge events are found only in history books.
The topic of Legacy Building couldn’t possibly be encapsulated in one brief message. It could easily be a multi-month sermon series. So I had to focus on a couple of arbitrarily chosen primary points.
My text was from Joshua 4, where the Lord parted the Jordan River for Joshua and the people of Israel to follow.
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.'”
Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you.
When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:1-7
When the children ask, we tell them what God has done. A simple principle. The tricky parts are getting them to ask and sharing something relevant to them when they do ask.
How do we get generations of people, particularly people much younger than we are, to ask about the things of God?
It is a two-fold part process. We have to live lives that show Christ at work in us. Without that, we have no credible place to speak from.
Secondly, we must show an interest in their lives. Generally speaking, the initiative to build relationships with younger generations comes from the elder down.
It takes time to listen to them and learn to appreciate their joys and struggles. We need to love them.
Godly legacies come from the heart. They are born out of a love for God and a passion for others; without that, any legacy left behind doesn’t honour God.
In Matthew’s gospel, we read…
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Loving God and loving others is the foundation stone for this life and building a God-glorifying legacy.
We can’t love others without loving God first. The people we love most are usually those that we know best. To get to know them, we must spend time with them and be interested in them.
Who are you loving? Whose life are you hoping to speak into, even in some small way? What legacy will you leave?
May God bless you by allowing you to leave a legacy that endures past your time here in this life and brings glory to Him.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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