What Type of Legacy Do You Want to Leave? - In Search Of A Better Tomorrow

“Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth. They want to be remembered when they’re gone. Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says” (Rick Warren).

Guided by the Spirit and our life purpose, we should strive to make a positive impact in the world, benefiting people and glorifying God, and passing on a godly legacy to future generations. We do this by spreading the love of God through our purpose as an exhibit of faithfulness to God.

The great and glorious legacy of a human being is to live with purpose” (Robin Sharma).

Our definition of what constitutes success influences what decisions and actions we take to achieve it, shaping our legacy.

“The world defines success in terms of what a person possesses, controls, or accomplishes. God defines success in terms of faithful obedience to His will” (Ken Sande).

Charles Stanley defines success as the “continual achievement of becoming the person God wants you to be and accomplishing the goals God has helped you set.”” Since God’s two greatest commands are based on loving God and our neighbors properly, everything we do in life, including our legacy, should be based on that.

God wants us to make disciples, bear fruit, and be faithful stewards of our talents. We show our love to God and people when we do all this, for the good of people and God’s glory, as we faithfully pursue our God-given dreams (purpose).

“The secret of success is constancy to purpose” (Benjamin Disraeli).

Leaving a godly legacy involves faithfulness to God and our purpose, motivated by love. Essentials to faithfulness to our purpose entail:

Loving God: Our faithfulness to God should be fueled by a deep love for God and a desire to honor Him.

Trusting God: placing our trust in God’s guidance, promises, and character.

Following God’s leading: seeking God’s will actively and following His direction in our lives.

Obedience: obeying God’s principles and commands.

Loyalty: being loyal to the Lord and His principles, no matter what.

Stewardship: wisely using our gifts and resources to serve God and fulfill His purposes.

Perseverance: despite problems and setbacks, always staying committed to God’s purpose.

When we live a Christian life as God intended, and the fruits of our words and deeds are passed down to future generations, we leave a godly legacy.

“Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light” (Norman B. Rice).

Because of sin, we live in a world of despair, in desperate need of love, faith, and hope. Too many struggle with hope; when hope isn’t enough, they desperately need love to place their faith in, reestablishing their hope. God is perfect love; only He can free man from all the problems, struggles, and brokenness that sin has placed upon humanity. However, without faith, man cannot experience Love and thus has no hope.

The cross is not only the bridge that leads man away from hell and to heaven, but is also the path where broken man can experience a relationship with Love, a relationship that has the power to free man and this world from the consequences of sin. Christians need to be the truth that shows evidence of the love of God, as countless lives and souls are dying from not receiving Love.

“When there is no vision, the people perish.” Without Truth, the world remains in darkness and is blinded by it. Without love, the world remains broken, lost, and without hope.

Without the truth of knowing that they are headed to hell, the sinner will never go to heaven. Without knowing the truth that God loves them, the unloved and unaccepted remain crippled by fear, rejection, regret, and shame. Without knowing the truth that they can be overcomers through Christ, the hopeless remain powerless and defeated. Without knowing the truth of what they can accomplish through the power of Christ, people fail to reach their potential. Without being led to the truth, the hopeless will remain tyrannized by darkness.

Christians are the extensions of God’s love to this world; it is by our love that we prove we are Christ’s disciples, and how the hopeless can become aware of the truth of His love – a love that will free them if their free will chooses to accept it. The love we daily give to others is meant to represent the love of God; it is only through our love that the world can come to know what God’s love is like.

When the Spirit fills us, we share Love and His love to the world, through our actions and words. God’s light shines in darkness, and more people can experience hope, faith, and love in this world, which they can pass on to their children and future generations. Love God and your neighbors by living a godly legacy of purpose and faithfulness!

“You were made by God, and He has a purpose and plan for your life” (Rick Warren)

“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction” (John F. Kennedy). “To accomplish anything, you must first have a mission, a goal, a hope, a vision” (Rick Warren). God has given us all of this through our God-given dreams.

Before we were born, God has given each of us a SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart passions, abilities, personality characteristics, and experiences), perfectly designed and created in us, geared to make a specific impact in a particular sphere of people in a specific way. When we know our identity, in who we are (the sphere of our spiritual gifts, abilities, heart passions, personality type, and past experiences that God instilled us), it will provide vision and direction in your purpose, in how God designed you to be a light for Jesus and to have an impact upon this world. Rely upon the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit each day to give you the vision, direction, and the ability to make a difference and have an impact in this world.

Once we have a clear vision and direction to be a light for Jesus, with daily thoughtfulness and intention, we strive to make a difference in this world by being faithful stewards of our talents and through building connections and investing in relationships.

“Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world” (Joel A. Barker).

“Our most important impact will be the contributions we make to the lives of other human beings” (Thomas Kinkade).

“A random act of kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life.” (Roy T. Bennett).

The whole world is in desperate need of receiving love from another. Even to hear the words, “I love you”, by our actions and words, can significantly impact a life. Let’s leave a legacy of love and passion in this world.

“Love is a great gift, cherish it, share it, and make this world a better place with the love you have to give (Heather Wolf).

Pray that God will use you to accomplish His purposes. Recognize the world’s needs and respond with compassion and action.” Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good” (Minor Myers).

“Even though the world is large, one person can still make a world of difference.” (Frank Sonnenberg).

“Small changes and small steps can create massive impact.” (Melissa McCreery”. “When you create a difference in someone’s life, you not only impact their life, you impact everyone influenced by them throughout their entire lifetime. No act is ever too small. One by one, this is how to make an ocean rise” (Unknown).

“Each of us can make a difference. Together we make change” (Barbara Mikulski).

“When you make loving others the story of your life, there’s never a final chapter, because the legacy continues. You lend your light to one person, and he or she shines it on another and another and another” (Oprah Winfrey).

“Never underestimate the valuable and important difference you make in every life you touch. For the impact you make today has a powerful rippling effect on every tomorrow” (Anonymous).

Our legacy is the footprints we leave in the lives of those we touch” (Saint Diamonds).

Our children, the future leaders of future generations, need to receive the positive fruits of our godly legacy so that they can pass it down to their children, and so on. Parents need to instill in their children the Christian values of how to live a godly legacy; children also need to receive from their parents, by example, a sound representation of what the love and character of God are like. Through love, acceptance, and validation, especially from their father, special care needs to be given to the child to help them form their identity, self-confidence, and self-esteem. To live a godly legacy, each child needs to receive a stable foundation from their parents at home that they can build their life upon properly. Every child needs to be loved and taught the values of Christ, by example, from their parents. Unfortunately, a father’s wounds have resulted in too many children, as a father’s failures to live a godly legacy have created unstable conditions in the lives of their children, making it more difficult for them to live a godly legacy.

“You were born with the ability to change someone’s life, don’t ever waste it” (Unknown). Leave a mark in this world, not a scar.

“What we do in life echoes in eternity” (Marcus Aurelius).

No one is perfect; no one lives a life without flaws. When we fail, we must learn from our mistakes, forget the past, and then press forward with life, striving to do our very best and live the best possible godly legacy we can, through the power of the Spirit. Every great saint had failures, but they chose not to let them define them. All God desires is that we try our best. God is the Judge, but He is also a loving Father who generously forgives.

Final Thoughts

“Each day we choose to live the legacy we want to leave” (Pam Farrel).

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi).

“Ordinary people with commitment can make an extraordinary impact on their world” (John C Maxwell).

Our Dream’s Biggest Nightmare: The Fear Of Failure

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