WHAT IS YOUR LEGACY

Acts 7:18-19"Then another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die."

A few years ago my father died, and as I went through his possessions following his funeral, I couldn't help thinking that the things he treasured most had more to do with a memory than its intrinsic value. An old ashtray from a hotel, a rusted pocket knife, a sales award -- evidence of a life, but without the memory -- what is the value?

I remember growing up as a boy; my father would come home from work and stop by the football field to watch practice, or on other days, pause for a moment to ask real questions (not superficial) about my day. He would take me to choir practice on Wednesday nights, church on Sunday morning and Youth Fellowship on Sunday night. What I am is evidence of who he was. It's not what he had that made his life (after all, one generation's treasures are the next generation's junk), but what he invested of himself in the people around him. The legacy of his values is what endured -- both positive and negative.

Joseph's memory and his accomplishments were forgotten by the Egyptians, but he lived on in the memories of his family and descendants (as recorded in the Old Testament). My life and your life will be forgotten by the world, but remembered through the life and action of our children and grandchildren. They may not have a written record of all we said or did, but when the day comes that my son stops by my grandson's baseball practice on the way home from work, and takes him to Core Fellowship on Thursday night -- my father by his example, will live on through this generation and the one to follow.

What legacy are you leaving to future generations? Solomon tells us that all possessions and accomplishments are vanity -- what we work hard for in our life only goes to the next generation who did nothing to earn it -- therefore we're doing it only for our own vanity or pride. Are you guilty of vanity? Are you leaving a legacy of obsession with material objects? What kind of a legacy do you want to leave? How are you investing in your family and in the people around you?

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