1 LIFE TO LIVE SERIES: LEAVE A LEGACY

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Psalm 90:12.

No matter how long you’ve labored to build a sandcastle, or how big you were able to make it, when high tide comes, the water will bring it all down to ground level. Many people work long and hard to leave a mark of their existence, but in reality, only a few are remembered. What are you trying to build with your life? What legacy would you like to leave behind?


LEGACIES WE LEAVE BEHIND:

1. A GOOD NAME.

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold”
Proverbs 22:1

Dr. Alfred Nobel was an innovator, chemist and engineer who discovered the dynamite. In 1896, a newspaper mistakenly published an obituary of him that read:
"Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."

It was then that Alfred Nobel realized that he was leaving a negative legacy that he dedicated the rest of his life helping other people. In his death, he left about 9 Million dollars to a foundation that assists scientists, researchers and scholars now known as the “Nobel Peace Prize.”

2. WEALTH AND INHERITANCE.

“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous” Proverbs 13:22.

It is good to store up for our children so that we can leave an inheritance for them and their children as well.

3. LASTING GENERATION.

Having a good name and leaving wealth are good inheritance but they can also be temporary. The legacy of a lasting generation is in the relationships we leave behind. On what foundations are our relationships built on?

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put it into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand”
Matthew 7:25-26.

What foundations are we building a legacy on? Are we building on Godly foundations that are eternal or are we building on Worldly foundations that are temporary?

James Ryle, President and Founder of TruthWorks Ministry lived as an orphan at the age of 7 and was imprisoned in Texas Penitentiary at the age of 19.

When he was able to meet with his father after he was released from prison, he learned that his father, who was an ex-convict, was one of those who built the very same cell block that he stayed in in prison.

On the other hand, Joe Martin, Pastor of an Every Nation church in Trinity, Dallas preaches on a stage and platform that his father built with his own bare hands.

How you live today determines your legacy tomorrow. Every generation either builds a prison or a platform for the next generation.

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds”
1Corinthians 3:10.

4. LEGACY OF A NEW LIFE.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”
2 Timothy 2:2

There is nothing bigger than leaving a legacy of a relationship with Jesus. The people whom who you have shared the gospel to will be eternally grateful.


LIFE IS SHORT. LEAVE A GODLY LEGACY.

Jesus walked the earth for 33 years making each moment count. He left us a lasting legacy which is the Church that we know today.

1 LIFE TO LIVE: LEARN HUMBLY.

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Psalm 90:2.

“Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
Matthew 11:28-30.

Life is a learning process. Not everything in life is fair. You can draw the wrong conclusions out of certain experiences in life and it can hurt you for the rest of your lives. Jesus teaches us that to learn, we must come to him.

How you position yourself in learning in life is so critical for every age. Many people find themselves bitter because they did not learn what they needed to learn from their circumstances. The challenge is to veer away from Identity theft.

“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”
John 10:10.

Jesus’ purpose in our lives is always fulfillment. God had invested keys in our lives so that we will find our fulfillment.


GOD-GIVEN KEYS TO FULFILLMENT:

GIFTS.
God has given each of us gifts. The enemy will always try to rip us of these gifts. We must learn and draw from the Savior on how to take care of these gifts and use them.

PASSION.
God has given us passions to accomplish His purpose. What brings real pleasure in your heart?

STRUGGLES.
God has allowed struggles in our lives so that we can learn more about Him. Satan wants to steal the purpose of these struggles; he wants to steal the fruitfulness that comes out of these struggles.

“…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God”
2 Corinthians 1:4.

God stays with us and gives us comfort in all our struggles and He positions us to be with other people who may be going through the troubles that we have gone through that we may be with them to give them the same comfort that God has given us Himself.

Real difficulties happen when we think we can do things by ourselves, when we think that we do not need God, His purpose and His plans.

“Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
Matthew 11:28-30.

Jesus tells us to come to him, to learn from him and be yoked with him even in our struggles to find our real purpose in life.

God sees our purpose and our fruitfulness. He longs to see our fruitfulness in our working environment, in our relationships, in our families and so forth.

TO FIND YOUR REAL PURPOSE IN LIFE, LEARN HUMBLY

Read Matthew 13:3-23, The Parable of the Sower.

“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown”
Matthew 13: 23.

The Lord’s goal for each of us is true fruitfulness.

1 LIFE TO LIVE SERIES: LOVE COMPLETELY

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Psalm 90:2.

“It was just before the Passover feast Jesus knew that the time for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love”
John 13:1.

What would you do if you realize that you only have one month to live? Who would you spend your last days with?

Jesus, in his last few days on earth, didn’t spend his remaining time preaching or performing miracles, rather, he spent it with the people who mattered the most.

We are created by God to be relational beings. We are both created and commanded to love. Our purpose is to love, to receive love and give love every single day.

CREATED TO LOVE.
We need one another. None of us can live in isolation. We are social creatures created for relationships and communities.

“The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him”
Genesis 2:18.

COMMANDED TO LOVE.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”
John 13:34-35.

Jesus referred to loving one another as a new command even if it was mentioned because giving love was no longer natural. Sin caused people to self-preservation, pride, selfishness and vanity.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30.

Jesus summed up the 10 Commandments in the Old Testament with these two commands on love. He tells us to love others unconditionally just as he has loved us— without expecting anything in return. He also teaches us to love God with everything that we are.


LIFE IS SHORT. LOVE COMPLETELY.

How do we love completely? WE COMMIT TO LOVE. Love is a commitment. It’s a choice. We choose to love the people God has put around us. To show love to the people who matter to us is in the way we spend time with them.


HOW TO COMMIT TO LOVE:

1. Act now.

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions”
1 John 3:18.

2. Forgive.

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you”
Colossians 3:13.

Many times, we hold on to bitterness and resentment because of hurt. In relationships, when we let go of these bitterness and resentment, both sides win.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” John 15:11.

1 LIFE TO LIVE SERIES: LIVE WISELY

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Psalm 90:12.

What would you do if you realize that you only have one month to live? How would you live the remaining days of your life?

Every single day is a gift from God. Life is short and each of us has an appointment with God.

“You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath”
Psalms 39: 5

Psalm 90 was a psalm written by Moses who was a man of God. He walked his life filled with the Spirit and had witnessed 10 major miracles of God and had seen manna and quail fall from the heavens, and yet he humbly asked for God to teach him to number his days aright. What can we learn from Moses?

LEARNING FROM MOSES (What Moses asked from God).

1. Teach us.
   Moses asked God to teach him about life. God is the author of life and He is the author of time. God existed even before time began. God started time so that we can measure our days.
   

   “Be very careful , then, how you live—not as unwise, but as wise”
   Ephesians 5:15.
   

   Are you living your life on the right priorities? Are you doing what God wants you to do? Or are you just filling your life with schedules?
   
   
2. Number our days.
   In an average of 75-85 years in a life span, we only spend 5 ½ months worshipping God while we spend years and years on other things such as eating, sleeping, working, entertainment, etc..
   
   Our days on earth are numbered, but we are not victims of time. Time is one of the few things that are consistent in life. How do we value it? Do we take time for granted by simply doing lifeless routines?
   
   
3. TO GAIN.
   What do we seek to gain from this life? Do we seek eternal wealth? Wisdom? Relationships? Moses asked God to give him the basic understanding and knowledge of God. He sought to have a relationship with God. Moses sought after eternal life.
   

   “What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?”
   Matthew 16:26a.
   

4. A Heart of Wisdom.
   Having a Heart of Wisdom is having the ability to identify what truly matters most in life and pouring one’s passion in it, making every moment count.
   

   “Be very careful, then, how you live –not as unwise, but as wise making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is”
   Ephesians 5:15-17.
   

Even when we are not aware, whatever we do with our families, relationships and finances will echo in eternity. Are you merely existing or are you really living?

LIFE IS SHORT, LIVE WISELY.

“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men”
Ecclesiastes 3:11b.

“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”
John 10:10.

Jesus lived all his 33 years here on earth by making every moment count.**