2021-05-23
Proverbs 10:7 NIV
Inventor Charles F. Kettering once said, “The greatest thing this generation can do is lay a few stepping-stones for the next generation.” Short term, when people recall your name, they may talk with admiration about what you accomplished and acquired for yourself. Long term, what they’ll remember most is what you did for others. That’s why the Bible says, “The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot.”
If you want to be a blessing to others, (1) you must truly care about people and show it, and (2) you must appreciate how great an impact a good legacy can have. Educator D. Elton Trueblood is said to have written, “We have made at least a start in discovering the meaning in human life when we plant shade trees under which we know full well we will never sit.”
The great orator Henry Ward Beecher said: “We should so live and labor in our times that what came to us as seed may go to the next generation as blossom, and what came to us as blossom may go to them as fruit. This expresses the true spirit in the love of mankind.”
So what will your legacy be? What must you stop doing…start doing…or do more of to make it a reality? It’s never too early to start thinking about what you want your life to mean after you’re gone. Just like the PS at the bottom of a letter, your legacy tells the people who follow you: “This is what my life was all about!”
Soul food: Acts 1:4-8; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Cor 12:1-13
2021-05-22
Psalm 61:5 NLT
The story’s told of a hypochondriac whose tombstone read: “Now maybe you’ll believe I was sick.” Seriously, what would you like your grave marker to say about you? In Walden, Henry David Thoreau voiced his concern that when it came time to die, he would discover he had never fully lived.
When it comes to your legacy, here are two things you need to keep in mind: (1) Nobody will care about the legacy you leave as much as you do. So, be intentional when you decide on your legacy; that way, you greatly increase the odds of making an impact on the next generation. (2) The sum of how you live your life each day becomes your legacy. Tally each action over many years, and you can see your legacy begin to take shape.
In Inspiration and Ideals, Grenville Kleiser writes: “Your life is like a book. The title-page is your name. The preface is your introduction to the world. The pages are a daily chronicle of your efforts, trials, pleasures, discouragements, ambitions, and achievements….Day by day your thoughts and acts are being inscribed as evidence of your success or failure….Hour by hour the record is being made which must stand for all time. One day the word “Finis” must be written. Let it then be said of your book that it is a record of noble purpose, generous service, and work well done.”
Most of us don’t get to choose when or how we’re going to die, but we all get to decide how we’re going to live. And that’s the legacy we leave to those who follow us.
Soul food: 1 Ki 6-7; Mark 10:35-52; Ps 97; Prov 12:1-3
2021-05-21
Proverbs 13:22 NIV
Leadership expert Dr. John Maxwell writes: “On December 18, 1998, I had a serious heart attack. That night as I lay on the floor waiting for an ambulance, I remember thinking two things: First, I was too young to die. Second, I had not completed some of the things I wanted to accomplish….One of the most beneficial outcomes of my heart attack experience was that it motivated me to ask myself, ‘What will my legacy be?’ A legacy is something we leave behind to the next generation. It can be possessions that we place in the hands of others. It can be principles we lived that carry on beyond our lives. It also can be people we have influenced whose lives are better as a result of knowing us.”
Always try to keep these two things in mind: (1) Today is all you’ve got. Remember the words on a tombstone that read: “I expected this, but not just yet! “We all hope for a long life, but none of us knows if we’ll see tomorrow. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1 NIV).
(2) You will leave a legacy. “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.” Note, a good man or woman can leave a legacy that blesses the next two generations.
So focus on being good and doing good, and ask yourself regularly, “How do I want to be remembered by my loved ones? When my time here runs out, will I continue to influence others for good and for God?”
Soul food: 1 Ki 3-5; Mark 10:23-34; Ps 93; Prov 11:30-31
2021-05-20
2 Timothy 2:5 TLB
Are you so eager to stay in everybody’s good graces that you comply with their every demand? You’re not alone – good people burn out every day because they can’t set boundaries. And once that happens, it’s hard to fix because none of us, not even those ordained by God, can break His natural laws without suffering.
One Bible teacher writes: “Once when I was complaining about my heavy schedule, I heard God’s Spirit say, ‘You’re the one who makes the schedule; if you don’t like it, do something about it!'” Paul told Timothy, “Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work…as an athlete…follows the rules or is disqualified” (v. 5 TLB). Not every problem is spiritual, some are physical.
Furthermore, you can’t blame the Devil for things that are your own fault. We resent people who pressure us, yet we keep doing what they want, which feeds our silent anger. You’re allowing yourself to be pressured by not taking responsibility for your own life. The fact is, many well-intentioned folks are walking around each day stressed out and depressed because they can’t say no. They forget that Jesus is their example, and that He had regular times of rest and renewal.
The answer lies in (1) putting your life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, (2) learning to put first things first, (3) realizing you, too, have needs, and (4) not expecting everybody to understand when you set boundaries. The Bible says, “A friend loveth at all times” (Proverbs 17:17), not just when you comply with their wishes. So to fulfill God’s will for your life, you must learn to set boundaries.
Soul food: 1 Ki 1-2; Mark 10:13-22; Ps 88:9b-18; Prov 11:27-29
2021-05-19
Proverbs 10:8 NLT
If you want to walk in God’s blessing, stop making excuses and take responsibility for your life. The Bible says, “The wise are glad to be instructed…fools fall flat on their faces.”
The ability to accept responsibility is a hallmark of character and maturity. More importantly, God can’t restore you until you acknowledge and turn away from your sin. Nowhere in Scripture does God excuse our sin because of someone else’s behavior. The Bible says He will “repay all people as their actions deserve” (Proverbs 24:12 NLT). When you keep placing blame on other people, you never reach the place of honest responsibility – where real change begins!
A respected counselor writes: “All blame is a waste of time. Regardless of how much fault you find, it will not change things. The only thing blame does is keep the focus off you when you’re looking for reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making someone else feel guilty, but you won’t succeed in changing whatever’s making you unhappy.”
Blaming others is often just a way of avoiding the truth about yourself. Jesus said that knowing the truth will set you free (See John 8:32 NLT). It may make you very uncomfortable at first, but it’s the thing that will truly liberate you. And hiding from it doesn’t make it go away. In fact, until you’re willing to face your mistakes, you’ll keep having problems. Is that really how you want to live? No? Then get honest with God, and let Him help you correct the things in your life that are out of order.
Soul food: Heb 11:17-13:25; Mark 10:1-12; Ps 88:1-9a; Prov 11:24-26
2021-05-18
Job 10:12 KJV
There’s no cure for past pain like present desire. When the longing for something is powerful enough, it can wipe out the pain of the past, enabling you to rise again with renewed energy and purpose. If you ask any woman who has experienced the pain of childbirth whether it was worth everything she went through, chances are she would do it again to experience the joy of holding that little one in her arms.
Maybe you’ve experienced a tragedy that has left you feeling indifferent about the future, or a heartbreak that still has you reeling in pain. You may have tried to rationalize it by telling yourself, “As long as I don’t care, it won’t hurt.” The fear of being hurt again is very real; a burned child dreads the fire. But you can’t live the rest of your life in fear.
Job lost his health, his wealth, and his children in a single day. How did he get through it? He said, “Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.” God is not finished with you. He will visit you again! Job’s story ends with these words: “The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). And God can do the same for you.
Be encouraged – He has a better future for you: “If you devote your heart to him…stretch out your hands to him…put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by” (Job 11:13-16 NIV).
Soul food: Heb 9:1-11:16; Mark 9:38-50; Ps 75; Prov 11:23
