Leaving a Legacy

 One of my students became inspired by two seniors who prayed at their high school graduation. He wanted to do that. My mentor, Al Siebert, gave me a better goal for my student to do. He encouraged me to have my student start a Bible club at school and leave a legacy. My student did, and to this day, over twenty-five years later, the Bible club still exists. His legacy lives on.

I remember and appreciate many of the words of wisdom that Al Siebert gave to those of us who led youth ministries in the Long Beach area in the 1990s. He even continued to mentor me when I moved to Los Angeles until I left youth ministry in 2007. Al Siebert, who worked for Campus Crusade for Christ unintentionally challenged me to leave a legacy instead of a memory.

Even though Al Siebert’s words of wisdom challenged my student, when he gave those words, I longed to leave a legacy. At first, I pined after what would be things of glory and fame. After maturity, I realized that a legacy comes with the use of our gifts, talents, and passions. I also realized that being consistent and being with people brings a legacy to your name.

Leaving a true legacy requires work and passion. It also means we must fulfill God’s purpose. One Sunday at Mosaic Church in Hollywood, Erwin McManus said that you have a desire to get out of the job where you currently work, but God may have you there to fulfill His purpose. I remember that on days when I feel exhausted or frustrated with teaching. In fact, I begin to look for what God has in store for me when things don’t go the way I want them to go.

In our current society, people scream on social media that they have left a legacy with their posts and screaming of their super righteous thinking. Others on social media want fame and believe that it will leave a legacy, but it usually leaves fifteen minutes of fleeting fame. Fame does not build into a legacy. A legacy goes beyond entertainment.

Our social media posts will last forever on the Internet. Do you want them to be your legacy? Could you do more than just post on social media? Can you find a way to connect with people beyond social media? Paul writes in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (CSB) If all your deeds and words begin to glorify God, then you will begin to leave a legacy. We must strive to glorify God.

Reflect on what you do daily. How can you use those tasks to glorify God? The people you serve, must see Jesus. You glorify God when you serve God through people, not serving people just to serve them. It took me decades to understand this. Once I began serving God, I could say, “No,” to tasks that did not bring glory to God but to someone who didn’t want to do the task. The apostle Paul also stated that he would not please people but God. “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I am trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10; NIV) God wants us to serve Him and leave a legacy that reveals our love for God so others can come into the presence of God.

You don’t have to do something super large. You just use your talents, gifts and passions to serve those around you. Think of how your gift and talent will impact someone in the future. Your legacy lives within you. It’s time to let it out and share it with others.

One day, a student will enter a Bible club on a campus in a public school in the Long Beach area and meet Jesus. That student never met Al Siebert, but Al Siebert’s thumb print exists all over that club. You never know how your words of wisdom or your gifts and talents will impact someone in the future. Begin to day to find how to leave a legacy.

 

The Cost of Freedom

 “Buy one get one free” deals manipulate me to buy more than I want or need, but the fact that I get something “free” entices me. Society today struggles to understand that free stuff comes with price for both the consumer and the seller. The seller sacrificed profit, and the consumer now has too much of something that she does not need or paid the same price or close to it, if she just bought one. This whole concept made me think about freedom, both in America and in Christ.

 Freedom comes with a price.

 Throughout the 250 years that our country has existed, men and women have fought for our freedom and have sacrificed their time, strength, health, and some even their lives so we can live in a free country. If we just take the freedom and sit back and let everyone in the government take care of us, we abuse the freedom and don’t appreciate it. We also begin go lose the freedom.

 The more you allow others to just give you things, the more power and control they have over you. Corporate businesses know that they can entice customers to come and enjoy BOGO sales. Now, they have a returning customer. They also know they can raise the price of items, and you just see the word, “free.” They know consumers do not research why the item is free. They rely on our ignorance to boost their sales.

 In our country, President John F. Kennedy said, “Don’t ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” He understood that for protection of freedom, it required every American to do something. If everyone contributes to protecting freedom, then we have a strength as a nation to protect it.

 If we sit at home and demand that freedom means that everyone takes care of us, then we will lose freedom because those who do the work will have power over us. When we have freedom, we have the empowerment to create and have a purposeful life. When we have a purposeful life, others benefit from what we leave on this earth. When we live a life with others in control of us, we lose our desire and ability to create, and we live to survive not with a purpose.

 Jesus understood the human dilemma. He knew that humans needed freedom from sin, and he understood the temptation to sin. Jesus sacrificed everything for us to free us from our sins. Since we have freedom from sin, we can now live in Christ and with him. In Philippians 2:12, Paul said, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (NIV) That passage does not mean that we work for our salvation, but that we don’t stop at salvation from our sins. We continue to glorify God with our lives.

 The passage of working out my salvation did not make sense to me for many years. In our current times, I have taught students who want to do nothing and receive rewards for their nothingness because they have been taught that life will be better without a purpose and just let those over you have everything given to them for free. I realized that as a Christian, I must glorify God with my actions. I cannot just sit back and wait for rewards in heaven, but to live out my reward in Christ here on earth.

God created us for a purpose. We must live out that purpose. We must give him the power over our lives that empowers us to live freely in Him with a purpose to give others of our gifts and talents. His ways supersede the ways of human beings because he wants freedom for our souls. He gives us the gifts and talents to use for His purpose. When we use the gifts and talents God gives us and fulfill our purpose on earth, then our reward in heaven will be filled.

People desire freedom. We must protect it. We can only protect with living our lives with a purpose and working through our faith to find completeness in our relationship with God. Then, we can all enjoy the freedom that we desire. So, ask, not what God can do for you, but what can you do for God. This will reveal your love and trust in God.