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Leaving A Legacy


So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (II Peter 1:12-15)

            Have you ever thought about the legacy you're going to leave? Peter wanted his legacy to be people who were firmly established in the truth. When my mother was dying, we bought Bibles for my siblings and their children. She wrote notes to each recipient. As I look through history, here have been people who left legacies of knowledge, healing, wisdom, freedom... these are all worthy legacies.
            Yesterday, someone posted a meme on Facebook about the fact that people don't attend funerals to talk about what a lovely couch someone owned, or what great shoes she wore.  This summer, we put my tombstone on my grave site with everything but the death date. I'm grateful because that means when I'm gone, others won't have to. I got to choose now a little of the legacy I wanted to leave after I'm gone. I included two Scripture References: Matthew 22:37-39 and  Matthew 13:52. The first is the Greatest Commandment. The second talks about what a good teacher is like. These together express what I've found to be my life mission, which is also a desired legacy. 
           The idea of a legacy also brought to mind a means by which the poorest of men can leave a great legacy through the sharing of Scripture:
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

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