Leaving a Godly Legacy
When you think of your legacy, what comes to mind first? For many, it may be financial, their children, memories, maybe photos of a life well-lived.
Those are all fine, but for the Christian, there is something else so precious, priceless, and personal, that we often completely overlook it. We don’t think of it as a legacy, per se, but it is. What is it? Your own stories of God’s protection, direction and instruction. Your “God stories” are yours alone, a testimony of sorts, of your life walk with God, and will bless and encourage those who need to hear your stories.
In Deuteronomy 6:20-21, we read, “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘what is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws of the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: We were slaves of Pharoah in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”
The Lord brought us out…… that’s a God story. That is a story of God’s protection, and making a way where there is no way. It is a story of personal remembrance, and reflection, that should lead us to worship God.
The verses in 6:22-23 go on to tell us, “Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders - great and terrible - upon Egypt and Pharoah and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that He promised on oath to our forefathers.”
The Lord gave us the land…… that too, is a God story, this time of His direction. We can almost visualize the Israelites sharing their excitement recalling the stories of the good things the Lord had done.
Oh, there’s even more, because verses 24 and 25 say “The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”
The Lord instructed the Israelites, as only God can. He had protected, directed, and instructed, and He does that for His people today, too. The legacy of Godly stories passed from generation to generation will last long after money or photos fade.
We see another example of the importance of telling of God’s goodness in Acts 4:18-20. Here, the ruling authorities, the Sanhedrin, tell Peter and John to stop preaching in the name of Christ. But Peter and John reply, “judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
God is still protecting, directing and instructing His people today. He has not changed, and He is not silent. The question is do we know that it is His provision in our life that is our most valuable legacy? That is an inheritance to treasure and pass on.
An obedient life is a blessed life, and conversely, for a Christian, a disobedient life leaves a void, where stories should be.
I want my legacy to matter. I need to remember, so I can repeat it for the next generation, so they can repeat it, too.
Telling the good news of the Gospel of Christ is my legacy. I can tell how He saved me at my worst, cleansed me, and made me His daughter, and promised me eternal life in Him. If you are in Christ, you have a story, too, a legacy of experiencing God. Tell your story.
~ Originally from New York, Gerry Lutzel has been a NC resident since 2017 and currently teaches in the women’s Bible study. She also serves at Guest Services on Sunday mornings.