Mighty Acts (Psalm 145:4)

When our first granddaughter was born 24 years ago we were thrilled with her arrival into our family as we have also been with the 11 additional grandchildren that followed her in subsequent years. Soon after her birth I was reflecting on the kind of world I would leave for her someday. I soon realized that my generation had not done a very good job of reaching unbelievers and making disciples. All the evidence around me pointed to a world that was heading in exactly the wrong direction and to some extent I felt responsible. I began to wonder what I could do about this situation? 

My desire since then has been to leave a legacy that will positively impact her, our other grandchildren, people around me, and the world at large. The reality is, everyone will leave a legacy. The question is, what kind of legacy will we leave? Will our legacy have a positive or negative impact on those who come behind us? Will our legacy include a testimony that declares the mighty works of God to the next generation? 

Each of us is living a story as we journey through life. Our lives are stories of successes and failures. Holy moments and times we would rather forget. Our individual stories are having an impact on everyone we meet. There are undoubtedly some people who have had interactions with me that are negative. I regret leaving a negative legacy in their lives. My positive legacy includes a lot of engagement in Christian ministry. Included is training in evangelism and conflict resolution, church denominational leadership, Christian businesses serving the Christian community, and pastoring international churches in three countries.  

All of these things are good and I believe I was sincerely engaged in an effort to leave the world in a better place than I found it. But it was not until about 2011 when a message by our son Wade really got my attention. He was preaching on Mathew 6:33. I know you are familiar with this verse as I was. But on that day, Wade asked the question: "what if this is true"? This question caused me to evaluate my own life and I soon realized that while I was focused on Christ and his Kingdom there was an element of self preservation and self reliance in my life. The result was a more complete surrender to Christ and his will for my life. As a disciple I became more focused on seeking the Kingdom of God and less focused on the things God promised to take care of if I kept my eyes focused like a laser on him. 

I will have more to say about legacy in my closing paragraph below. 

Fortunately, there is only one judge who evaluates our legacy. When we stand before him we will all participate in the rewards for the work we have done together making disciples across the street and around the world.