Pastor to Pastor - Should I Concern Myself With The Legacy I Leave Behind?

By Bobby Conner

Should I Concern Myself With The Legacy I Leave Behind?

A Good Man Leaves An Inheritance
Every person on earth has a legacy. Just as every human on earth has distinct fingerprints, so also each of us has a unique legacy. Legacy can be likened to the footprints of life. Just as footprints in soft sand reveal that someone has passed this way, so too your legacy is evidence that you were here on earth, and it points to your accomplishments. Legacy is the fragrance of your life, which lingers long after you have departed from the room.
How you live your life will have lasting consequences upon your family for generations to come. Scripture declares that you will leave an inheritance to your children and grandchildren:
"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous" (Proverbs 13:22).
As a sharp chisel applied to stone leaves a mark, so the conduct of our lives leaves an impression for good or bad. We must never forget that we too have power to shape others' lives. That is the way legacy works.
Scripture states that we will reap what we have sown (see Galatians 6:7). One of the fundamental principles of sowing is that we will reap more than we have sown (see Hosea 8:7). For example, a farmer sows one kernel of corn and reaps a stalk bearing ears of corn filled with hundreds of kernels.
Upright, godly individuals will be encouraged to know that what they sow in the present will bring a harvest in the future. Just as a small pebble tossed in a pond results in ripples expanding across the pond, so it is with our lives. The events of our lives can and will have far-reaching results (see Hosea 10:12). (Photo via Pixabay)
With this in mind, we must make the noble choice and resolve that our lives will be a blessing and not a burden – that they will reflect the overwhelming grace and mercies of our loving Heavenly Father. The importance of legacy is revealed in the fact that it is mentioned over two hundred times in Scripture. We must not ignore its significance. Our goal must be to yield to Christ's leadership so that our lives will be bright beacons to others. We are called as followers of Christ to be bright beacons of light, radiating and reflecting God's wonderful redemptive love and light to a hurting world (see Matthew 5:14).
None of us want to become a stumbling block to a single person, especially not to our own families (see Philippians 1:27). We are best able to live as godly beacons when we start with our own families, setting forth a godly lifestyle (see Matthew 5:16). If we set the right example in word and deed, it will have lasting effects upon our children (see Proverbs 22:6).

True Legacy

Legacy is what we leave behind, even a bequest made in a last will and testament. But much more than words on a page, our legacy is how we have conducted our lives. The deepest desire of my heart is to conduct my life in such a manner that, in years to come, when my name is spoken, my family will not hang their heads in shame, but will be honored and blessed by the testimony and example of an upright, godly life (see Proverbs 22:1). Let this be your core goal also (see Titus 3:8).
Some synonyms for legacy are: inheritance, bequest, heritage, gift, and birthright. However, our legacy is far more than just material possessions that we pass down to family members. True legacy speaks of upright values, godly character, and a good name (see Ecclesiastes 7:1a). True legacy is of a spiritual nature. The most valuable legacy is what we have stood for and how we have conducted our lives; this forms our reputation (see Colossians 1:9-10).
In case you're still wondering, Is my legacy significant? – the answer is a resounding yes! Jesus Christ asked a pointed, powerful question in Matthew 16:26: "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" At the end of a person's life, the thing that truly matters is not a huge bank account, but a life lived for the glory of God. Each of us should aspire to live our lives so as to hear these words spoken: (Photo via Pixabay)
"Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).
In the most profound manner, our legacy has the power to shape and affect others and especially to influence many generations following us in our family lines. Through our love and loyalty to Christ, we have the power to transform not only our own lives, but also the lives of our descendants. How we conduct our lives will pass on wonderful, life-changing blessings or deadly, destructive curses to our family lines.
Depending on whether your lifestyle is virtuous or decadent, your legacy will become either a dangerous stumbling block or a delightful stepping-stone for your descendants. Start right now, this very day, by determining that your life will be a bright light that leads others to a deeper walk with Christ Jesus, not a dark shadow of despair and doom.

A Fresh Start - A Bright New Future

Even if you have made some wrong choices and have taken some detours, take heart. God's plans for you are good, and He always makes a way for you to repent and return in order to receive restoration (see Jeremiah 29:11). It is a true statement that God's ways are always better and so much higher than our ways (see Isaiah 55:9). It is never too late to restore God's blessings to your family name; God promises to give you the power of a fresh start (see 2 Corinthians 5:17) and to remove and cleanse your life from sin (see 1 John 1:9).
No matter how dark your past has been, when you respond to Christ Jesus, your future will be filled with light, love, and lasting hope (see Isaiah 1:18). Don't let the failures of the past keep you from the victories of the future (see Philippians 3:13-14). God's promise is to remove your sins from you as far as the east is from the west and to remember them no more (see Psalm 103:12). Thank God that, in Christ Jesus, you can have a new beginning, and you can experience the power of God's mercies, which are new every morning (see Lamentations 3:20-23). As you think about this reality, ponder this promise from God in Joel 2:25: (Photo via Freeimages)

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you."

God is so good (see Nahum 1:7)! His tender mercies are fresh and new, waiting for you to avail yourself of them by simply asking for forgiveness and guidance. Truly, He is overflowing with loving-kindness and tender mercies. In Exodus 34:7, we discover the promise of God to extend mercy for thousands – forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. However, it also says that He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the family line to the third and fourth generation. The choice is up to us.
God is offering each one of us a fresh start, a clean slate. It is true that weeping might come in the night. However, overwhelming joy comes in the morning (see Psalm 30:5). Let's prepare to embrace the dawn of a new day, overcoming the pains and failures of yesterday so that we're ready to face a bright new future.

Psalm 86:5 pronounces, "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." In other words, even if you have rejected God's good plan for your life in the past, now is the time to repent, to open your life anew to God. He will answer your cry and restore hope and peace in your life (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).
As the Bible clearly outlines, God shows abundant mercy to all who love and obey Him (see Exodus 20:6). The substance of our love for God is demonstrated when we honor Him and obey His Word (see John 14:21-23). Scripture declares that God loves righteousness and hates evil and wickedness because He knows what sin will do in our lives (see Psalm 45:7). He knows it will destroy us. Sin carries a high price; as the Bible says, the wages of sin is death – separation from God and His love, not just for the present, but also for all eternity (see Romans 6:23).
God's love for us is everlasting, and He does not want any of us to be eternally separated from Him. Thus, He draws us to Himself with tender cords of kindness (see Jeremiah 31:3; Hosea 11:4). Thank God for salvation! And if you haven't yet, call upon Christ today so that you may experience this new life in Him (see Romans 10:9-13).

The Significance of Your Legacy

To understand the significance of legacy, let's first look at your value and worth, not just to humankind, but also to Almighty God. The world reached a milestone in 2012 – the population of the earth reached over seven billion people. Remarkably, not a single one of these seven billion people are just like you. You are extremely precious and special to God. You have heard the statement, "You're one in a million!" But that's not true. Actually, you're one in seven billion! (Photo via Pixabay/Tawny Nelson)
You are divinely unique, one of a kind. You were created by God for God, and you have value and worth beyond your wildest imagination. All the redemptive things that God has done, He would have done even if you had been the only person who needed them. The truth is, God's great plans started for you before you were ever born. Let the magnitude of this passage in Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT) encourage you:

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

"How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God! They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me."

Always remember that you were chosen by God for God; therefore, you have divine purpose. You were chosen by God in eternity past to live in the present, and to forge the future (see Ephesians 2:10).
When John Donne wrote, "No man is an island," he was telling the truth! Our lives have a tremendous impact on others, for good or bad, to help them or hurt them. Consider this little question with potentially big results – "If every person on earth was just like me, what kind of world would this world be?"
It is a massive mistake to underestimate your God-given potential. Stop thinking that you're not important, that your life is insignificant and does not matter. This type of misguided, erroneous thinking will rob both you and your descendants, and it can even devastate their spiritual destiny. Shake yourself, lift your head, and gain the courage you need to face each day knowing that you have been given divine purpose and will, consequently, have power. (Photo via Freeimages)
Never allow doubt and discouragement to grip your heart again. Doubtless, the devil is behind this type of attitude. He knows all too well that if you gain an understanding of your value and worth to God, it will change your whole outlook and transform your entire life. You will begin to live your life according to the way you think about yourself in your heart (see Proverbs 23:7).

Godly Character and a Good Name

God Himself has given you life, which means you are inexpressibly valuable and important to Him. You have "friends in high places" (see John 15:15). You might protest, "I have no great fortune or large inheritance to pass down to my descendants." But as I said before, the most valuable thing you can bequeath to your children is not gold and silver, precious stones, or stocks and bonds. Such gifts are good, but the best gift is godly character and a good name. This is the true treasure that robbers can't steal and rust can't tarnish (see Matthew 6:20).
The entire message of the Bible reveals that the greatest thing you can pass down to your children is not a huge bank account, but rather a godly lifestyle, a good name, and honest character.
Don't underestimate yourself, thinking that you're not significant. Nothing could be more distant from the truth (see John 3:16). You matter first and foremost to God. It was His plan to create you and to give you life, and He paid the ultimate price for your redemption (see 1 Peter 1:19). God's love for each person is evident in light of the sacrifice God provided to save us. Scripture affirms that the greatest display of love occurs when a person gives up his life for another (see John 15:13). That is what Jesus did for us. (Photo via Pixabay)
Second, not only are you valuable to God, but you matter to others, especially your loved ones. Even if you have not been aware of it, your life has bearing and influence upon people around you. Your life is an open book read by all people (see 2 Corinthians 3:2).
Clearly, you are important. God has a plan that only you can fulfill (see Ephesians 2:10), and you are perfectly tailored for the works that God has prepared for you to accomplish (see Philippians 2:13). You are not here by accident, but for a divine purpose. You were chosen by God for His lofty purposes. Again, I want to emphasize that, though over seven billion people inhabit this planet, not a single person is just like you. You are truly and divinely unique.
God has counted the number of the hairs on your head, and you can be confident that His plans for you are wonderful (see Isaiah 55:9). His thoughts toward you are simply amazing (see Psalm 40:5). In fact, Scripture reveals that God's thoughts toward you are more numerous than all the grains of sand in the entire world:
"My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You" (Psalm 139:15-18 AMP). (Photo by Jennifer Page LIFE via elijahshopper.com)
I hope by now you are convinced of your value in God's eyes and the positive impact that He has created you to have on your own life and on the lives of many others. The power of proclamation is enormous! You have been given an outstanding sphere and scope of authority with people, especially your bloodline. My goal is to teach you to use that authority and help you learn how to speak and release divine blessings and break family line curses.
Bobby Conner
EaglesView Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org
Website: BobbyConner.org
Bobby Conner: This "Gentle Giant" is uniquely anointed with refreshing humor and razor-sharp prophetic accuracy, which has been documented around the world. Bobby's dynamic capacity to release outstanding demonstrations of the miraculous – healings, signs and wonders – reveals the very heart of the Father toward us! Surviving a dramatic abortion attempt by his mother, being rescued again by the hand of God from drug dealing and suicide, the story of Bobby Conner is a display of a man who now walks in his God-ordained destiny to set others free! Highly esteemed as an internationally acclaimed conference speaker, Bobby has ministered effectively to over 45 foreign countries as well as here in the States for many years.