What Will Be Your Legacy?

Well, it certainly is great to be here. We've never had the opportunity to visit in person. So here we are. It's not a video. It is in person, and so it's a good thing to be together. I know some of you have met for the first time, and so it's good to meet you. Or we've seen each other in other places. And to put you at home is a little bit different. It's like, well, at the feast, or maybe Cincinnati, or some other location, so that they get the perspective, oh, this is home.

That works really well. For those who I haven't met before, I often get a couple of interesting comments. Probably the most prevalent comment is, you're a lot shorter than I thought you'd be. So that's usually the biggest compliment I get. I did get one the other day that was kind of interesting. I felt this presence next to me, and I turned, and it was a little child.

I think this is partly in thanks to Mark Graham, actually, because they looked up at me and they said, you're that jelly guy. Because I was on a couple of little jelly videos. So now my claim to fame is I can be the jelly guy. So it's always interesting to visit people and get to know them a little better, especially as we can visit at home.

So greetings from Cincinnati. It's been a busy time, as you might imagine. We've had council meetings coming up. We've got different changes on the horizon. So there's a lot going on. ABC is having its charity auction this coming week. So it's school year is coming to an end. And then on the horizon, we have our general conference of elders just around the corner. So there's certainly plenty of things with the Holy Days just ahead of us.

So just wanted to make sure we bring greetings from the home office as well. It is interesting when you think about the time of change. Things change with the Thomas's retiring. And you begin to think about, you know, what does the future hold? Just this last November, we had an election in the United States.

And people were talking about, well, what is Joe Biden's legacy going to be? And oftentimes you hear that kind of terminology. What are they going to leave for future generations? What are they passing on to others? And I suppose it's a good time to think of that. As you know, we have retirements. I mentioned to my wife just a moment ago, it won't be long until we'll be doing this ourselves. And so that time comes for all of us that it's time to pass the baton.

And so when you think about what will be left for future generations, what comes to mind in your case? When we think about a legacy to pass on, all too often, you know, what does the world think about? Well, maybe it's an inheritance that I'll leave this huge amount of money.

I'll be quested to build a library or a building or a memorial. Oftentimes I think the world focuses on that power or wealth or those types of things. What you've accumulated is your legacy. But is that really the case of what is most important? You read about those kinds of things in the Bible. One example, maybe we could look at one example.

Psalm 49, I think, encapsulates the world's idea of what a good legacy would be. Not what God has in mind, though. So if you look at Psalm 49, verse 10, this points out, I think, the frailty of life and the fact that most people have a wrong perspective when it comes to what will you leave behind that's really important. Here in Psalm 49, verse 10, it says, He sees wise men die, likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their dwelling places to all generations.

They call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless, man, though in honor, does not remain. And so we've seen this, certainly over time. People name a building after themselves, or a property, or an estate, or a mansion, or maybe an institution that should carry their name. Boy, history is full of all kinds of powerful people at one time who tried to live on through their monuments. And I think Psalm 49 tells us, really, does that work? Or think of the book of Ecclesiastes.

It's all vanity. None of that really lasts. And so when you consider that, what impact will your life have? Will there be something that you can leave that would outlast a monument or a building with your name on it, or some great tomb like the pharaohs tried to do? Stories that would be taught? Well, what would really last? I think when you get to the heart and core of things, that has to be a spiritual legacy.

A spiritual legacy is something different than what Psalm 49 is talking about. And something that we all have to consider when it comes to leaving something behind. Of course, you might say, well, why would that last any longer than a monument or a building with your name on it? Well, if you look over to Proverbs 13, verse 22, it does tell us you can have an impact that outlasts your life. And you can leave a spiritual inheritance that not only is something that affects people right now, but will live on, that will live on after you're gone.

Proverbs 13, 22, you're familiar with this passage. It says, a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. So, in other words, to your grandkids, you can leave an inheritance. Well, do you think of just money? Is that what would be most important to leave to your kids or to your grandkids? I like the way the message translation interprets this passage in Proverbs 13, 22.

In the message, it says, a good life gets passed on to the grandchildren. A good life gets passed on. So, it's not just talking about money. What could be more important than passing on a good life? And that's not just things or property or money. What we're really talking about here is something that's of eternal value, something that gets passed on that has value for future generations. That becomes so much more important, more important than temporary things like money or property or those types of things.

And so, when you begin to think about that, focusing our life, especially as we're thinking about that during this time of the year, we're thinking about our commitment to God. That's gotta be first, number one. And we look at ourselves and we try to align ourselves with the measure and the stature and the fullness of Christ, and we're thinking about those things and trying to align ourselves to our most important priority, to be right with God and have a right relationship with Him.

Certainly, that's first and foremost. But Proverbs 13 then reminds us something that needs to come next. And that idea of passing on a legacy of eternal value to our family has to come next. God first, and then our family, passing it on to others. So, Proverbs 13, I think, causes us to step back and maybe ask ourselves, how truly committed am I to my own family?

Because I think Proverbs is telling us this isn't something that just happens naturally. You know, does this just happen by accident or just by osmosis? No, we have to make a choice, an intentional choice, to raise our family with godly values, to train them up in the way they're to go. And that never-ending parental responsibility that just seems to go on and on and on, it does pay off. It does pay off when we recognize our single most important legacy we can leave our children is a loving, serving attitude that they love God.

And when we show that love to God and that importance of a relationship with Him, will that inspire our family? Will that encourage our family? Can that motivate them the next generation that they want to follow that God given? You talk about an endowment or an heirloom to pass on. What better inheritance can you give than to give a spiritual gift to your family? That you demonstrate what that means 24-7. And you teach them and you show them and you model that kind of behavior as a parent or as a grandparent. And they can begin to recognize the power in that relationship.

I think of a passage over in 1 Timothy. In 1 Timothy 4, verse 8, there's this passage here that oftentimes we think of in a physical sense. But here, as the Apostle Paul is encouraging this young minister, Timothy, I think he's got this idea in mind of an eternal spiritual inheritance that can be passed on. The kind of legacy that outlives your life and one that has value that goes beyond just this physical life. 1 Timothy 4, 8, you know this passage. It says, bodily exercise profits a little.

Okay, we should try to be in good physical shape. Do our best. Yes, that's true. It does profit.

But, he says, godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. So we have the present impacted, but we also have the future, godly living, passing this legacy on to the rest of our family. This is telling us this has eternal value. This has value that outlives our life and that influence is one that we don't want to underestimate. You're putting God first in our life and determining to leave this kind of inheritance has impact, well, as he says here, to the life which is to come, the life which is to come.

And so when we consider these things, how will you be remembered? How will you be remembered?

Ran across an interesting survey and they asked men one question, and in this particular survey, they asked them how they remembered their father. How do you remember your father? In one word, they said, give us one word that would describe how you remember your dad. Well, there were all kinds of answers that came in. Some were very complimentary, you know, caring, hardworking. Of course, on the other hand, some said angry. Some said absent. Some said detached. You know, ran the gamut, which was kind of interesting just to see all these various answers that encapsulated the whole gamut of responses. I mean, included, you know, dysfunctional, drunk, happy. You know, the whole scheme of things, as you might imagine. Now, the interesting part, they did ask them a second question. They asked them how would they like their family to remember them? Not their father, but as men, how would you like to be remembered in one word? Now, that was a lot different because there weren't a whole array of answers. In fact, they pretty much boiled down to one word. The most common answer was loving. I want my children, I want my family to remember me as being loving. Now, what's interesting about that is I think as we strive to live a life of faith, you know, as we try to put on the character of Christ, wow, what a better description than that.

And what a reminder, if that's the case, doesn't happen by accident. That's got to be a choice.

That's got to be a decision that we make. And as people of faith, we realize, okay, it's not automatic, but it's a deliberate choice that we choose to make. That we're intentional about it. That we're conscious of that very fact. That that's the kind of person I really want to be.

We were talking a little bit this morning with some of you. It's amazing how fast life goes by. I mean, just the other day, I think I was about 20 years old. I think that was last week, but wow, no, it's a little longer than before that. I was just a teenager still in high school.

But wow, it goes by so quickly. Reminding of what Peter said, I think it's right at the very beginning of 1 Peter 1, where he said, all flesh is grass. You know, this life that we have, boy, it doesn't last at all. The grass withers, it fades away. In fact, maybe we should turn there. I think it's right at the very beginning. I didn't write it down, so I might be in trouble finding it. But I know it's right at the very beginning of 1 Peter 1. Let's see if I can find it here. Okay, it's after verse 12. Okay, there it is. It's verse 24. Verse 24, all flesh is grass.

The glory of man is a flower. Yeah, time goes so quickly. How did I get to be this old? I thought I'd have more time. You may be there too. But here it tells us, all right, physical life does go by pretty quickly. But look at verse 25. The word of the Lord endures forever. You want to leave a legacy? Here's something that endured. This doesn't fade away. Boy, the trends. Yeah, they come and go pretty quick. Wasn't it just the other day everybody was doing the wah-tusi? See, if you remember that, uh-oh. Okay, what's more recent? I don't know, the dubstep? Maybe that's a little more recent. I suppose you could go way back and do the a la monde or, you know, those types of things. Yeah, things go. Trends pass. You know, even the way we talk, that changes pretty quickly, you know? Remember some of those sayings that people don't even identify with anymore?

Now you're cooking with gas. My grandma used to say that. It's like, yeah, they had a wood stove before that. Now they got gas, right? Things like, um, sock it to me. Wow, what happened to that? Or groovy. Now it's like, uh, yo dude, I can't wait to get back to my crib. Yeah, things change, don't they?

What endures? What is it that won't change? What really brings a sense of order? You know, a sense of the unchangeability that is eternity. And that's God. His word doesn't change. If we live that word, if we make that word who we are and what we stand for, that's the kind of legacy that we can leave behind because we base our life on the word of God.

And so as we look at our own families, we look at, you know, our church family, if we want to call that, look into the word of God. We base our life on that word. And when we do, then we don't have to be, oh, embarrassed about what might have happened in the past or whatever our family may have been. No, this is what we base our life on. God's unchanging word. That endures forever. And as we make that a part of who we are, that's going to endure as well. And so we can take that very fact and we can recognize that's the goal. That's what I want to be. Maybe this Passover season reminds us, I want to live that word even more thoroughly in my life because that's who I want to be. I want to be like Christ. Maybe think of this story that I heard about a family getting into their genealogy.

Any of you into genealogy, looking up your family background? Okay, the Thomases are great. Well, I heard this story about a family that started looking into their background and they wanted to write a book about their inheritance. So what they did is they started looking into their background and they found some big, highfalutin people in their heritage. And so they actually hired an author to write a book about their family history. So they were totally into this.

So as this author started getting into some of their background, they ran into a little problem.

To their horror, they found out that great Uncle Clarence was executed in an electric chair for being a murderer. How are you going to write about that? So they were totally devastated by finding this out, but this author was pretty good. They figured, well, we can't exactly leave him out, but maybe we ought to temper the story a little bit. So they talked to this author and said, you know, I don't know how we want to deal with this, but you know, we're paying you to figure this out.

So they got the book. The book came out and here comes the section on Great Uncle Clarence. And the author wrote, Great Uncle Clarence occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important institution. He went on. He was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, and his death came as a great shock.

Okay, that's not the legacy we want to leave behind, is it?

Yeah, we don't want to fudge over our legacy either. Right? We don't want to, you know, cherry coat things, you know, and, you know, no, we don't, we, this is the time that we look at ourselves realistically. You know, how are we measuring up to the stature of Christ?

I think that's the amazing part, that ultimately we can, with God's help, by submitting to God's Spirit. Yeah, we don't, we don't have to be like Uncle Clarence, right? Yeah, there's, there's an interesting proverb that I think that summarizes some of this. It's in Proverbs chapter 4. Notice Proverbs chapter 4 verse 20. Now the Proverbs are interesting because here's, here's a dad trying to pass on wisdom to his son. And in doing this, here, here we have that most important perspective that he's trying to express the value, really, I think in many ways, of the unchanging Word of God, and how important that is. And when you look at verse 20, it says, my child, pay attention to what I say. Listen up, right? Listen carefully to these words. Let them penetrate deep into your heart.

Boy, that's, that's what we want to do. We want God's unchanging Word, His Word of life to penetrate our hearts. So in a way, he's saying, you know, if there's one thing I really want you to know, it's this. And then of course, chapter 4 goes on, showing these great words of wisdom and love and encouragement. And of course, when we think about that, passing those words of wisdom on to others in a life well-lived is the most powerful thing we can do. I mean, think of the example of Christ in this way. Here's Solomon trying to do that with his son. But think about Christ just before his arrest, just before his crucifixion. You know, he told his disciples that he loved them and that he loved them as the Father loved him. And it's amazing to think of, here's Christ passing on these words, to love, to love one another, to love one another as I've loved you. Now, he knew he only had a little time to live. Doesn't always work out that way for us, but if you could imagine, if you only had a little time to live, a little time to speak the most important thing to those that you care about most, maybe to your mate, to your children, to your friends. Now, how would we finish that sentence? Above all else, I want you to know that what would it be? When you think about that, we can't wait. We can't put off speaking our last words, because sometimes it doesn't happen that way. It doesn't often happen that way, in fact, that you're on your deathbed and you can say these remarkably inspiring words before you die.

Now, it doesn't often work that way at all. Sometimes that opportunity doesn't come.

So what do we do? Start saying those words now. Start passing that legacy on now. Be totally committed to your family and your friends and pass that on now, that eternal enduring word that we're striving to emulate in the way we live. That becomes so critical that we do those things, not sometimes down the line, but we do them now.

And I think that ties into an important principle as well. If we're going to pass on a spiritual legacy, it also entails a life of service that we should really live to serve. That's part of the wisdom that we find in the Proverbs. It's not all about me and mine. It's about serving others.

How often did Christ talk about that? Boy, he did over and over and over again. In a pretty familiar passage over in Matthew chapter 5, you know this section of Scripture where he talks about, let your light shine. We're all familiar with this section of Scripture. There was something that caught my attention in this section of Scripture as I was rereading this the other day, that really ties in with this idea of living to serve. Matthew 5, 15. And here Christ talks about lighting a lamp and don't put it under a basket. Anyone remember that old song about don't hide your light under the basket? My mom used to sing it all the time. But here he says, instead of doing that, put it on a lamp stand. And here's the part that caught my attention the other day as I read this.

It says, it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. So that really takes it to the next level, doesn't it? It's not just about, oh, I serve the church, or just serve my family. But here it says, it gives light to all. It gives light to all. So beyond those who are even closest to us, there's a way that we could leave a legacy, it says here, I believe, to everyone by letting this light of godly faith shine in the things that we do. In, well, here it says, they may see your good works, your good deeds. So leaving a legacy of good works, acts of kindness, loving service, really reflects this whole attitude of the enduring Word, really taking seed in our hearts, that it can't help but come out in the things that we do, living a life of service. And you can probably think of many biblical examples of individuals that did that very thing. I think of that one lady that had multiple names. Some called her Tabitha, others called her Giselle, or, and there was Dorcas. Yeah, same person. You remember her example? It was pretty interesting. It's over there in Acts 9. I won't go over there now. But at her funeral, at her memorial, they talked about all the things that she did to serve, and how she served in so many ways. And as they were getting together, just talking about these things, I was like, oh, she did that for you. She did this for me. She made these beautiful tunics, these shirts, these coats. She served in so many different ways. And it says they're full of good works. And so you talk about a legacy that was left behind, a legacy of service, of giving, of helping. And that's the story of so many that we find throughout the Bible. Another great example, the Apostle Paul in Acts 20. I will turn over there. Acts 20. Paul was an amazing man who didn't just travel around visiting people.

He spent time in some of these areas. And whether it was spending a year and a half in Corinth and teaching. He spent a lot of time in Ephesus. And here in Acts 20, here he's leaving the Ephesians with a legacy that would outlive his life. Look at Acts 20, verse 18.

Here they come to the Apostle Paul. And look what he says to them. He says, Well, when you hang out with people for extended periods of time, they get to know you, what you really like, not just a surface kind of thing. He says, yeah, you know what manner I lived among you. Was it like, yeah, he talked a good talk, but he didn't walk the walk for you. Well, no, here he says, verse 19, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house. And so he had a legacy that was going to live on long after him. You can remember these things, not just the teachings, but the life of service. Skip down to verse 31. He says, watch and remember, for three years, I didn't cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. So that inheritance, that's this legacy. He gave that example that he lived to serve. And of course, it wasn't just about serving. That's in a way kind of a secondary thing when you really consider that. What's really at the heart of service? Well, it's not just, well, I see this job and that needs to be done. Or I get to pass out the songbooks today and everybody will see me as I pass them on. Okay, that's a necessary thing. We got to do those things.

But when you think about service, and this example here, or the example of Tabitha, or what's the woman with the oil that anointed Christ that lives on? Those examples just continue to live on. Because it goes beyond just the things that they did, what is it really a reflection of?

Who they are. We serve not just to fulfill a responsibility, but we serve because it is who we are. It's our identity. Our identity is we are servants. And whether that means cleaning up the dishes after the potluck. Okay, that needs to be done. Whether it's restocking the paper in the bathroom. You've got all these various jobs that need to be done around the church building, right?

But it's not just doing that job. I do that job because it's who I am. And so it doesn't matter what my title is. Are we identified by titles? Because titles are going to go away. You're not going to be this title always. No, it's not going to happen. Somebody else will come along and take that job or that title or that position. That cannot be our identity. Our identity has to be we are servants of Jesus Christ. We are servants of God the Father. And if that means doing this job or that job, that's who I am. And that's what I will do because it defines who I am, not some title or some responsibility. And I think that helps define everything, leaving that legacy of our identity as servants. That's really what it's all about. And if you were to fast forward all the way to the end of the book of Revelation, I won't turn there, but it says that is our identity. It talks about the fact that in the kingdom it says, His servants will serve Him. We will be servants throughout eternity. And what a legacy to leave behind. And we can do that now because that's who we are. That's who we are. And we can strive to live that kind of a life and serve because it's our identity. Now, it's not always that way for everybody. I got totally off track when I was thinking about this the other day, and I got into looking up epitaphs. Have you ever looked up epitaphs on different tombstones? Things like that there. Some of them are pretty funny.

There was one I ran across about a man. His name was Ezekiel Akal, and it said on his tombstone, age 102. It's like, wow. But then under that it said, only the good die young.

Not a good thing to be remembered by, right?

There was also another one that caught my attention. It was a man in England. His name was Sir John Strange. Sir John Strange. It said on his tombstone, here lies an honest lawyer.

That is strange. That's a pretty good legacy to leave behind. I think that entails the idea of who we are. Being servants. Servanthood is a legacy that we can leave. So much better than wealth, so much better than power or prestige. Those things laugh. Now you might say, well, wait a second. Don't those acts of kindness... those things are forgotten after a while, aren't they? You'll just be anonymous down the line at some point. Well, hang on for just a second. Psalm 112.

What a beautiful passage here that says something a little bit different. That even though this simple act of kindness, putting on servanthood, becoming a servant, is a whole different category than forgotten wealth or power or prestige. Look at Psalm 112. Verse 6 sums it up in just a very short little passage. Notice what it says here. Psalm 112 verse 6, it says, the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. Everlasting remembrance. So these are things that aren't going to be forgotten. Service, helping others. I mean, how many other ways is it put throughout Scripture? It talks about building treasure in heaven. Certainly, Christ talked about that in Matthew chapter 6. Yeah, we're building treasure in heaven. What's going to destroy that? Well, a moth? Nope. You're us going to do it? No, that's something that won't be stolen. Thieves can't steal that. And so when you consider that, these are things that continue to go on. And so as we commit to God, as we commit to our families, as we strive to live a life of service, I think it pushes us then to commit. This season of the year is certainly a time of recommitting ourselves, rededicating ourselves to serve God even more fully. And of course, when we consider that, we've got to act on what we know. We've got to act on what we believe. And so as we look at that, I should have had you hold your place back in Acts. If we go back to Acts 20 for a moment, it really emphasizes this point that we have to commit to action.

It's not good enough just to understand these things or to know these things.

We know what does James say? It's not just the hears, but the doers. Okay, Acts 20, verse 24, says much the same thing. Here in the New King James, Acts 20, verse 24, Paul says, None of these things move me, do I count my life dear to myself, but that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus.

So here, that focus that he had was to, let's get this done. Let's just not leave things undone or half done, but let's finish this thing. Let's accomplish these things.

We have to make sure we complete this. And of course, the word ministry here, I mean literally, is just service, that we are servants. And as we think about this, this doesn't just apply to an elder or to Peter or Paul or the disciples.

I think this applies to all of us. It doesn't matter most to us to finish what God started in each of our lives. God started something pretty special in our lives as he called us and brought us into a relationship with here. And in a way, Paul's kind of saying, if I don't close this out, if I don't finish this, boy, I missed what really matters. This is what really matters. So we could ask ourselves, is there something we need to finish?

Is there something we really need to accomplish that God's given you to do?

I mean, we're all different. We've all been given duties and responsibilities, each unique.

But is there an unfinished task that you need to finish? One that, boy, I need to accomplish this. What is that job that God's given you to do?

I read across the story of a guy named Tom Mikowski. Interesting. Interesting. Not, oh, his name's not Tom, it's Blake. Blake Mikowski. I got Tom in there because he started a shoe company named Tom's. You've heard of Tom's shoes?

This was a young man just in his mid-20s, and he visits Argentina. And it really struck him that there were so many children there that had no shoes. And so he saw this need, comes back to the States, and starts a shoe business to help put shoes on those children's feet. And so this idea of shoes for a better tomorrow became Tom's shoes. Shoes for a better tomorrow for these kids.

And so he's still selling shoes, and when he sells them for every pair they sell, he gives one away. Gives one away, which is just phenomenal. And it's not just Argentina, it's stretched to South Africa, and stretched to Rwanda and Cambodia, and all around the world.

And when you consider that, I mean, that's just a remarkable thing that just one guy, one guy did. And I think, wow, it causes me to step back and think, well, can I make a difference? You know, here, boy, it sure made a difference for those kids that didn't have shoes, that somebody took the time to commit to action and to do something about it.

And I think God's given us, especially those of us that God has called and He's working with, we know He's given every one of us a gift. Can't deny that Scripture says that. Every one of us has a God-given gift. So how are we using that gift? Are we finishing things up? I mean, for some of us, maybe it's this little thing. Maybe it's a bigger thing. But maybe we're right in the middle of this job that God has given us to work with. Maybe some of us, okay, I've got to step out in faith. And maybe it's relational, working on our relationships, drawing people together.

It doesn't have to be a physical thing. But when we become aware of needs, you may be the one that has the resources to fill that need. Or you can figure out who does have the resources to help with that need. And so when we consider those types of things, is there a job that God's given us to do, to me personally, to accomplish? I think if we're going to leave this kind of godly legacy, boy, we've got to do what God leads us to do and live how he designed us to live. And as we do that, I think then we really do pass on a beautiful inheritance that lives long after our physical lives. I think in this sense, Christ also left this kind of a key as we're to leave this legacy behind. And of course, one of the most powerful things that he said was that no greater love has one than to lay down his life for his friends. To lay down your life.

I think that's in John 15. Lay down your life for your friends. And you think about, well, who's left a mark on my life? Who has influenced my life in this way? If you think about those that have left that indelible impression in your life, they probably laid their life down for you. They probably gave of themselves so that it benefited you. And I think that probably fits that bill. They laid down their life for you. And of course, to say that Jesus left the legacy would probably be the understatement of all time because he laid down his life for all mankind. Wow. And he didn't do it just because he was a nice guy or a good teacher or a rabbi or something. No, he was God in the flesh and he laid down his life for all mankind. And he set that example that if we're to leave that kind of lasting significance behind us, I think we'll do it because we serve, because we lay down our life for others. And maybe that's a good question to ask at this time of the year. How have I laid down my life for others? How can I even more thoroughly help and serve and give?

What can I do that God would have me to do in my circumstances with the gift that he's given me that I can pass on that kind of love and service, that I can bequest to others, gift or trust to others? What would that look like? What would that look like to encourage? That may be it, or to build up or support, you know, regardless what might happen in return. Isn't that a lot better than, you know, a college fund? Isn't that better than, you know, just some physical inheritance? That you lay down self-interest. You give of your time, you give of your energy, you give of your attention, you give of your love. Because it certainly tells the story, it is not about things. It's not about stuff, but it's about love and support and really coming down to the fact that we model Christ-like behavior. And so when you decide to lay down your life for others, I think that's where a legacy really begins. And so during this time of recommitment to God, as we look at ourselves, we can commit ourselves to build on this eternal Word of God.

We can devote ourselves to really strive to make the choices to impact our family and our children and our grandchildren and our family here at church as well. Boy, when we dedicate ourselves and we're passionate about becoming a servant and we really want to live to serve, we can't help but let that light shine. It's automatically going to be there and it's going to be a bright light that just lights up the room because it's really godly character that is shining forth. And when that happens, boy, it can't help but touch the lives of others. And we can utilize those that have touched our life to reach out to others as well and do everything within our God-given abilities to really make this love and this truth a blessing to all as we just commit and recommit to action.

So let's ask God, ask God, help me, help me to shine that light of truth, help me to glorify you, help me to honor you so that your Word will continue to endure long after I am gone.

And so we can pray and ask God, give me the strength to love deeply, give me the strength to live faithfully, give me the opportunities to serve and to help and to give to others. Help my life not to be a testament to myself but to be an honor and a testament to you and to Jesus Christ, a testament to your love and your forgiveness and your care for me. And then, of course, then we have to get up off of our knees and then determine to do everything we can to live and leave a powerful and a lasting spiritual legacy.