TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 17, 2017.
LEGACY
DEFINITION:
Anything handed down from the past; property left by a will or a bequest.
The things that you have heard from me, commit these things to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. II Timothy 2:2.
I remember a famous musician saying that the finest instruments today in the orchestra are those that were made many years ago. If we remember he said that the wood used for instruments needed to be aged for 80 years in order to get all the moisture out of the wood. And then the instrument needed to be played for another 80 years before it reached its best sound.
Perhaps you have heard the name Stradivarius. A Stradivarius is one of the stringed instruments made by the Italian family, Stradivarius, during the 17th and 18th centuries. This family made violins, violas, cellos, and other stringed instruments and they are regarded as among the finest in the world and they can be worth millions of dollars. The name Stradivarius has become synonymous with excellence. The legacy of this family is the quality of the workmanship in their instruments.
The point of this illustration is that instrument makers make instruments that they will never play or hear. They make these so that they can leave a legacy as to the greatness of their masterful craftsmanship. Such instruments become more valuable with time and become treasured possessions that are passed on from generation to generation.
Many of the things we do are what we might term, "Next generation matters." In many cases teachers, do not know how well they teach until a generation grows up and builds on what they learned from their teacher. A parent will not see the quality of their training and tutoring until at least one generation passes.
The apostle Paul invested himself in people whose spiritual influence would continue long after he was gone. We read the words above, from II Timothy that shows that Paul wanted the message of his teachings to be his legacy. Paul talks to Timothy and tells him to teach what he has learned to men who would be faithful to passing Paul's teaching to generations to follow. Paul taught Timothy and other believers in the early church who then taught others to become faithful believers who then would teach others, thus fulfilling the commission given by Jesus to His disciples to go into all the nations and preach the gospel.
We must consider the quality of the legacy we are passing on to these who come after us. Are we living today for the short term or are we living dedicated to leave a legacy for our Lord? Are we giving ourselves to others or living for ourselves? Are those that we are giving to being trained by us to give to others? Living for Christ and making disciples is all about the next generation and the legacy we leave to them.
Each day we are adding to our legacy whether we want to or not Only we can determine what kind of legacy we will leave. What God desires for us is to obey Him and perform our mission day by day asking Christ to lead us and bless us. Then be encouraged by His presence in your life and be faithful to Him.
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:16.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Help me and my family to lay the groundwork in our lives to leave a legacy honoring You to the next generation. Keep us close to You constantly learning from Your Word how to be what You want from each of us.
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