A Right Now Legacy | Legacy
Monday— Don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust… thieves break in and steal…Matthew 6:19
“I’m gonna make my first million by the time I’m thirty!” Clark crowed. “Yeah, well I’m gonna retire by the time I’m fifty and spend the rest of my days strolling the beaches,” replied Ray. “I don’t care so much about money, I just wanna party with my friends and live it up,” said Jerry. “There’s still a whole lotta hot babes who’ve never been to Jerry-town.” What do these three guys have in common? They’re focused on temporary treasure and forfeiting what matters. They’re wasting their lives.
Jesus warned about guys like these. His message was this: “Earth-life is one second on the clock; eternal-life has no end point. So which life should get the most attention?” The key is realizing that we can’t do both at the same time. We either live earth-bound or heaven-bound and that choice determines all other choices. When we live earth-bound lives the only treasure we leave behind is flammable. The classy car, the fat bank account, and the fawning admirers vanish when the clock runs out. But when we live heaven-bound lives, God takes the responsibility for providing for our needs. We’re buying stock in a sure thing. When we live earthly lives with a heavenly focus, we leave a lasting legacy because we didn’t waste our lives.
Final Thought: Is your treasure earth-bound or heaven-bound? Don’t waste your life.
Prayer: Lord God, is my heart more earth-bound or heaven-bound? I give you lip service, but are you my treasure? Search my heart and show me what I’m living for. Is it temporary or will it last forever? I don’t want to waste my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Tuesday— Store treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves don’t break in and steal. Matt. 6:20
Flames lit up the town and screams echoed through neighborhoods that had known only peace—until the extremists came. They were going house to house, hunting Christians, leaders, pastors, anyone who would not bow to their gods. They had threatened, bullied, and harmed the families of preachers and missionaries. Now a group of them flung Yung See against the wall. “We’ll ruin you,” shouted a masked terrorist. “We’re torching this house and taking your valuables!” Yung See stretched to his full five feet and smiled back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You don’t have access to my valuables. They’re stored elsewhere.”
What did he mean? His wife’s jewelry was in the house. His debit and credit cards were on the table. His new truck was in the garage. They were all subject to whoever had the power to take them, so Yung See redefined valuable to more closely align with God’s definition. Think about it: Even if Yung See kept his truck and his stuff, he was fifty years old. He may have access to them for twenty or thirty more years and then they’re gone. It would be foolish for him to regard breakable, flammable, and theft-prone stuff as “valuable” while ignoring treasures that last forever. Think about what you call “valuable.” A purse with a fancy name on it. A baseball card with a stranger’s photo. A coin collection. A signed football. What makes them “valuable?” Other people’s opinions. They’re only valuable if someone else would pay that much to own them. So if we want to know the eternal value of something, whose opinion should we seek? Would Jesus call your treasures valuable?
Final Thought: Think about your most valuable possession. Is it in competition with things Jesus calls valuable?
Prayer: Father, my values don’t always match yours. I place too much value in worldly junk that has no lasting worth. It won’t transfer to heaven. Realign my values with yours. Help me start storing up things that you call treasure. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Wednesday— “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 26:15
How much is your best friend worth? How much would you pay kidnappers in ransom for your child’s life? Can you put a monetary value on your spouse? Significant other? Grandbaby? Can you be bought? If you were offered enough money, would you violate your strongest convictions? Would you murder a stranger? We place price stickers on almost everything, including our time and even our morals. But what if you were asked: “What is Jesus worth in monetary figures?” What would you say? Judas Iscariot placed His value at thirty pieces of silver. About $200. Do you agree with that price tag? Are you sure?
We instantly give our Sunday School answer to that last question (“Of course, Jesus is priceless,” we say). But do we mean that? Do our life choices indicate that? Whatever we value becomes our legacy. We can’t fake it; our priorities are woven into every moment of our lives. So take a reality check: Does your life prove that you consider the Son of God valuable? Even if we’d have held out for forty or fifty pieces of silver, we’re still a Judas. When Jesus doesn’t behave like we thought He should, we sell Him out. We slam the Bible shut, head to the bars, shack up with a hottie, and still claim to value Jesus. But we value sin, possessions, and our own opinions more. At whatever point we part ways with His word, we’ve found our selling price.
Final Thought: What price do you place on Jesus Christ?
Prayer: Jesus, this cuts to the quick. I call you Lord, but is that true? Am I selling you out in favor of earthly things I consider more valuable? Please forgive and change me. I repent. If I have to lose everything to have you, you’re worth it. Amen.
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Thursday— Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. Psalm 39:4
If you could know the date and manner of your death, would you want to? Most of us would say NO! Imagine the apprehension of a college exam, an IRS audit, and a court date all rolled into one. From the moment you found out, you’d live with constant preoccupation (I’m one day closer…is that the last time I’ll… Will I never see…?). But that’s exactly the point this psalmist is making. If we knew the last day of our life on earth, we’d live every moment with eternity in mind. Would that change anything?
Of course it would. Think of a 500-yard rope stretched out on the ground. Now imagine 12 inches of one end wrapped in red tape. That rope represents your life. The 12 inches is your life on earth. Which part of the rope deserves most of your attention? That’s what the psalmist means. When we grasp the fleeting nature of our lives on earth, we’re more eager to focus on what happens after our expiration date. And when eternity is our focus, every other decision is affected by that. Our lives on earth have meaning, our decisions honor God and other people, and our legacy is one worth imitating. Legacy-living means we plan for another hundred years but make personal choices as though tomorrow was Judgement Day.
Final Thought: When we live every day with eternity in mind, we leave a legacy worth imitating.
Prayer: Father, I make a lot of decisions as though my life will go on forever just like this. But it’s brief. Compared to eternity, it’s nothing but a breath. Help me live every moment as though I will stand before you by nightfall. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Friday— The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13: 45-46
When Jesus said that in order to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him (Luke 9:23), He wasn’t being an egomaniac or a kill-joy. He meant that unless we saw Him as the ultimate prize, we’d never make it as His followers. Unless everything else in the world was trash compared with Him, we’re too easily seduced. So He compared it to a jeweler searching for perfect pearls and a treasure hunter finding gold. He also had a warning about fishermen pulling up their nets and sorting the good fish from the bad. What will determine whether we’re good fish or bad? How much we value Jesus.
We live in a culture that has declared reality to be whatever we say it is. If feel like a man, I must be a man. I feel like a woman, I must be a woman. I feel like speckled hound dog, I should force a doctor to give me speckles and long, droopy ears. FEELING has replaced truth and unfortunately, that attitude has barged right into the church. I say I’m a Christian, so I am a Christian. I feel like I’m close to God, I must be close to God. I don’t like what the Bible says about sexuality, morality, or reality, so I create an altered version that supports my views. And most of the world accepts this without blinking an eye. But just because the world states it as fact, does not mean God changed His mind. We can march and protest all day long but it won’t change a single truth. Unless Jesus is our supreme treasure, worth crucifying self, our only legacy will be brokenness.
Final Thought: Define for yourself your supreme treasure. If it is Jesus, then He’s worth dying to everything else.
Prayer: Jesus, search my heart. What is my supreme treasure? I’d like to say it’s you, but do my actions back that up? I confess now all the things I’ve valued more than you. I take up my cross, I die to it all, and follow you. Amen.