Legacy

Last night the guys in our youth group had an all-night hang out at the church. It was pretty sweet. We ate pizza, watched the Bourne Supremacy, and had a Nerf basketball tournament. I won. We also had an awesome late-night discussion about "legacy." Around the "campfire"-- a candle lit in the center of the room (we were forced to camp inside because of potentially tornadic weather)-- the question was asked, "If you died tonight, how would you be remembered by those closest to you? How about those who aren't as close to you (classmates, co-workers, etc.)?" In effect, the question was, "What would your legacy be?"

This is an extremely valuable question to help followers of Christ assess their ministries. It was convicting to me that my high school classmates, if I were to die today, would probably feel as though they lost a friend from high school who was a nice guy, smart, and a little bit too silly at times. I don't think they would remember me as a man who loved Christ with all his heart and was excitedly devoted to his Savior with all he had. Hopefully, those closer to me now would remember me a little bit nearer to the last description (though I'm still far from it). But what about my college classmates from last year? Or my co-workers? How would they remember me? Is the light of Christ shining bright enough through me that I would even be known as His follower?

These questions are important and convicting. I should revisit them often as my ministry and outreach develops over time. But we must also be careful how our hearts cling to our legacy. I've heard song after song play on Christian radio talking about leaving a legacy. Many pastors and preachers excite their listeners by challenging them to leave a legacy when their time is done on this earth. It seems like a very Christian idea to "leave a legacy of love," right?

So, I looked to see what the Bible hast to say about legacies:
Nothing.

Nothing at all. The word "legacy" is never once used in the NIV, ESV, CEV, or NLT translations of the Bible. Eugene Petersen paraphrased it out of scripture eight times in The Message version. Twice it was used to describe a negative inheritance left by a foolish or lazy person. The other six times he used it to refer to the legacy left by God.

What do I conclude from this? What our actual legacy ends up being is not important if we have lived our lives for the glory of God. It is extremely valuable to consider how boldly we are living out our faith by how those around us will remember us upon our death. Use that as a tool for changing your heart and lifestyle to proclaim the Truth of the Gospel. But do not get caught up in how your name will be remembered.

Life is not about my name on a plaque, how much is in my bank account, the tears and fond memories of family and friends when I die, or my four paragraphs in the obituaries section of the paper. In fact, it's not about ME at all. It's about Yahweh. It's about Jesus Christ. It's about the work of the Holy Spirit in the souls of believers around the world.

It's about the legacy of the Gospel. So let's live it out for the glory of our King.