If you have flipped through a recent magazine issue or read your periodical of choice, you may have seen an advertisement from a publishing company that wants to help you write your memoirs. They have tag lines that grab you, like, “Your life has had lasting impact; share it with others.” It should come as no surprise. As society deals with the aging of another generation, it is only natural to assess what type of legacy one is going to leave the world.
What I mean by legacy certainly includes the pairing and sharing of physical assets. But it also refers to the passing onto the future generations wisdom, values, and other contributions. From a spiritual perspective, God makes clear from the beginning that we are to teach, reflect on, remain faithful, and showcase our faith in Christ (Dt. 6:5-7).
In 2 Timothy 4, we read about Paul, who provides a great witness to what this looks like. Verses 6-7 indicate he is confident in the legacy he is leaving the church and his followers. He refers to the race of life and assures the reader that he is finishing strong. Then, in verse 9, he goes back to legacy by helping to ensure that his followers have clear instructions after he is gone.
I recently had an opportunity to speak at the evening service chapel in prison. As I was outside waiting to go through security, I saw a squad of 10 men approaching. It was obvious that they were together, and I thought it pretty rare to see a group of this size entering an institution like this. In striking up conversation, I found out that the men represented a local church that provided Bible studies to the incarcerated on Thursday evenings. This group drove for over an hour so that they could provide the music for the church.
The reason I bring them into this piece on legacy is because in further investigation, I found out that this church had been serving on Thursday nights in Bible study for over 40 years! In all my years of doing ministry, I had never met a body of believers that had this kind of commitment. Many of the men, who I would guess to be in their mid-30s, talked about how they could remember being much younger and their dads filling the roles that they were now serving in. Talk about a legacy. I am still stunned by the revelation.
Over 40 years ago, a church decided that they were going to live into the call of Matthew 25 and serve the least of these. To them, it wasn’t a call for a season…it was a call for life. More amazing is the way these men have lived out the verses mentioned in Deuteronomy. They not only served as instructed, they passed on these instructions to their children and grandchildren. The result is a ministry to the incarcerated that spans generations. How about that for a legacy!
What is your legacy — please discern how you want to serve the Lord.
In His Name,
Dr. Romney Ruder
