LEGACY

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

                This morning in our men’s Bible Study, we looked at Ecclesiastes 2. The passage outlines all of the ways that Solomon sought to find meaning and purpose in life. In the end he declared, “This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Solomon’s conclusions about life are pretty depressing and demotivating. When a person lives life only for themselves, in the end, everything is meaningless.

                We live in a world that has bought into Solomon’s philosophy, whether they recognize it as such or not. The prevailing feeling today is that life is ultimately meaningless, so live for the moment and experience as much pleasure as you can. We are only cosmic accidents that have no real purpose. Purpose is something we create for ourselves. When our life is over, it is over.

                Jesus put a very different perspective on life. He raised our collective eyes from what is temporary to what is eternal. He made it clear that we were created with both purpose and meaning. We were created in the image of God. We were created to experience and reflect His glory. And we were created to live in relationship with Him forever. Our life is not limited to 60, 70, or 80 years on earth. This life is only the prelude to eternity.

                When we begin to look at life from an eternal perspective, it changes everything. Our life has meaning and purpose because what we do now will make a difference for all of eternity. If we choose to invest all of our time, energy, and resources into the pleasures of this temporary world, we will lose everything in the end. That is what Solomon discovered. But if we choose to invest our time, energy, and resources into making a difference for eternity, we will gain everything in the end.

                Suanne and I spent this past week visiting family in North Carolina. While we were there, we celebrated my Dad’s 91^st birthday. There were four generations present at the party. Earlier in the week, my brother Paul shared information with us about our heritage, going back multiple generations. All of this reminded me of the legacy I have been given and the legacy I now have to pass on to the next generations.

                The greatest investment we can make is not in pleasure, possessions, or power. It is in people. The only thing that will last for all of eternity is people. All of our stuff will pass away. All of our accomplishments will fade away. But the investment we make in others will pay dividends for eternity. That is why Jesus said to invest in that which cannot be destroyed or taken away.

                All of us leave behind a legacy. For some that legacy is hollow and meaningless. But for those who have placed their faith in Christ and have invested their life in service for Him, their legacy continues to bare fruit. Our life is not a meaningless blip on the timeline of history. It is an opportunity to build an eternal legacy to the glory of God.