What legacy are you going to leave behind after you have passed on from this life? What will people remember about you when you are gone? What individual mark will you leave behind in this world? Will it be what you treasured most in life? Will it be how much your estate was worth or how many assets you acquired while leaving them behind to remaining family members? Will people remember your greatest accomplishments involving some form of fame and wealth or something else? Or will it be the positive influence and impacts you had on others’ lives? Will you be greatly missed by several or will you be quickly forgotten? So what will your legacy be? What will family and friends remember you as?
Looking back at some of the past legacies of some famous people, Elvis Presley was known as the king of rock-n-roll, Sean Connery was known for his great acting skills in the British spy movie series, James Bond (007), George Patton (General Patton) was a strong and bold military leader in the US Army that help lead the victory during WWII, Bruce Lee was known as one of the greatest martial artist who brought it to the big screen, Robert Knievel (Evel Knievel) was known for his amazing daredevil motorcycle stunts, and so on. Along with their fame of these mentioned above, they left behind a tremendous amount of wealth.
These and others are all great and powerful legacies to leave behind along with the wealth that come with these but none of that matters unless you know where you are going in the next life. This life in no way compares to the next life of where we will spend in eternity. Our lives on earth are temporarily and are within a twinkling of eye compared to eternity as stated in James 4:14, “…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” We are instructed to NOT store up treasures on earth for these will wither away. We are called to store up treasures in heaven where they will NOT wither away and will be for eternity. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Paul expresses in 1 Timothy 6:7 , “For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either.”
Also, as Christians, the Bible teaches us to focus on things in heaven as stated in Colossians 3:1-4, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Therefore, our hearts should be focused on God and Jesus always, throughout the entire day for our daily walk in His Holy Spirit. Our true citizenship is in heaven (not on earth) with Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:20). We have a choice everyday of whom we will serve, and we cannot serve two masters as Jesus expressed in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
We are also called to be doers of God’s Word and not simply hearers of the word as Jesus instructs in Luke 6:46-49, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Jesus also tells us there will be many that will be mistaken and will NOT enter the kingdom of heaven that did not have a true relationship with Him as we read in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Deciding to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior by being born again is the most vital choice you will ever make in this life. Everything of this world will pass away but those in Christ will live forever (John 5:24-30, John 11:25-26). As you are saved by faith through Jesus, you are baptized with His Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) through faith. When you are saved, your life is transformed where you are a new creation in Jesus. Your old sinful self has died with Christ and your new life in the Spirit has resurrected with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-19, Ephesians 4:22-24).
It does not matter how much money you have stored up and put away or how much wealth you have acquired. It doesn’t matter how many homes, vehicles, toys, gadgets, possessions, or retirement funds that you have worked hard to achieve. It is also insignificant if you’re famous in the world’s eyes on social media or in the public eye. None of these things matter compared to eternal life in the next age.
The world teaches us that the rich and famous are the very important people (VIP) that have acquired great wealth by obtaining countless expensive possessions and by gaining numerous followers and admirers. Our civilization values very successful, powerful, and VIPs with an esteem status based on their positions, bank accounts, influence, and social popularity. This evil world also strongly encourages us to worship ourselves with exalted egos by filling ourselves up with many lavish and luxurious possessions where we constantly indulge in pleasuring ourselves. Our society brainwashes us into thinking that if we obtain more money and more possessions, these will bring us more happiness. We are deluded into thinking life will be more enjoyable and more abundant if we acquire more fame, wealth, and possessions, thereby leaving behind a better legacy. How WRONG is this thinking?
The world and our governing societies are promoting this great deception by programming our minds to believe that more stuff will make us happy but the Bible reveals the truth that this trickery is from the enemy himself as explained in 1 John 5:19, “…the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Having a relationship with God in Christ, is the only way that we can have a blessed and abundant life. Jesus, our great shepherd, unveils in John 10:10, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted by Satan for 40 days and nights, the enemy tempted Jesus one last time while He was physically weak by offering Him all the world’s power, control, and riches if He would fall down and worship him as revealed in Matthew 4:8-11, “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
As stated previously, Satan by his great deception has the power to influence, promote, and reward the wicked on earth with great wealth and fame that carry out his evil purpose in opposition to God’s will. If we desire to gain the riches of the world, we will end up losing our soul to eternal hell and destruction (Mark 8:34-38). Jesus tells us that its easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into heaven (Matthew 19:23-24). Jesus told us that life is NOT about the abundance of earthly possessions as stated in Luke 12:15, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Jesus taught us the parable of the rich fool that thought he was rich, but in God’s eyes he was viewed as a worthless fool as we read in Luke 12:16-21, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
More riches and wealth do NOT bring more happiness as expected, but instead provides curses rather than blessings as stated in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Desiring to acquire more stuff does not provide nor increase happiness as the world believes but rather weighs us down with much more burdens and sorrows. Once again, we brought nothing into this world, and it is very certain that we cannot take anything out (1 Timothy 6:7).
The enemy and ruler of this world cares nothing for us and wants to see us destroy ourselves in sin. He is the father of all lies and came to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 8:44, John 10:10). The devil’s wicked deceptions betray us into seeking sinful pleasures of pride by putting ourselves first to the point of worshipping ourselves and the things we have acquired instead of worshipping the one true Holy God. We become lovers of ourselves and pleasures rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-5). With this extreme pride, we give the devil an opportunity to devour us through sin where we ourselves become the form of idols of graven images before God Almighty, thereby committing spiritual adultery against Him (Isaiah 54:5, Jeremiah 3:8-20, Ezekiel 16:15-19, Ephesians 4:27, Romans 1:25). God is a very jealous God and desires to be first in our lives (Deuteronomy 4:24).
In this sense, we become horrible hypocrites by confessing Jesus as our Lord with our lips where our hearts are far from Him. Christ will vomit us out of His mouth (Matthew 15:7-9, Revelation 3:15-17). For we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). We must choose to serve God through Jesus, where we humble and deny ourselves to put Jesus first and foremost. We cannot be ashamed of Christ. If we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us in heaven (Luke 9:23-26).
If all our efforts are focused solely on worldly possessions, luxuries, social fame, countless lavish vacations, dark entertainment, and so on, then our heart is far from God. We must NOT love the things of this world as stated in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” The Bible tells us that wherever our treasure is there our heart will be also (Luke 12:34).
God told Samuel that we all look at outward appearances, but that God looks at the heart as explained in 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ ” For the things of this world that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal. If we are believers in Christ, our body grows closer to death each day, while our inner spirit which cannot be seen and is eternal, is being renewed each day as explained 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
When we are born again believers in Christ, we have the gift of eternal life in heaven. We become a child of the Most High God, the Creator of all creation. We are heirs of the eternal God through Christ as we are baptized with His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:26-29). Jesus gives us this Helper and Comforter from God that lives inside of us as we love Him and keep His commandments as stated in John 14:15-18, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
The Holy Spirit living inside of us knows even the depths of God and is the same resurrection power that resurrected Jesus our Lord from the dead (Luke 17:20-21, Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-4, Romans 8:14-17, 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Galatians 5:18, 2 Timothy 1:7). As we are blessed with God’s Holy Spirit and are performing His will for us by helping expand His kingdom and glory, Jesus stated that we would perform greater works as we read in John 14:12-14, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
As we lovingly and obediently fear God in Christ, we are protected by His holy angels as stated in Psalms 34:7, “The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them.” God hears our fervent prayers which gains much and heals us (Isaiah 53:3-12, John 15:7-8, James 5:16, 1 Peter 3:12). We will live forever with our Lord and Savior and will never hunger nor thirst again (John 6:35-37).
God has prepared eternal blessings for us in heaven that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart known (1 Corinthians 2:6-9). We cannot explain the treasures that we will receive through Christ as revealed in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus as explained in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Living a life in Christ by having eternal life with an everlasting and unconditional loving Father God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is most precious! Jesus is our mediator and makes intercession for us to God the Father (1 Timothy 2:5). Obtaining the kingdom of heaven is priceless as explained in the parable of the pearl as we read in Matthew 13:45-46, “…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This parable teaches us that we should give up everything for obtaining the prized possession known as eternal life in heaven with our Lord. You may not have one dime in your bank account and may owe everybody in town while being behind on several bills, but you are much richer in Christ than the world’s wealthiest billionaires. In Christ, you are blessed beyond words.
Jesus prayed to God the Father blessings on our behalf for all future Christians and stated that we would receive the same love, as one in Christ, that God has shown to His one and only Son Jesus as revealed in John 17:20-26, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ‘Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.’ ”
Paul tells us how blessed we are in Christ Jesus where we are included in every spiritual blessing as stated in Ephesians 1:3-14, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” When we pass away from this life, we are resurrected to heaven in a new, glorified, incorruptible, and immortal body where we will be like angels (Mark 12:25, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
The one and only thing that matters in this world is whether you have a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Having fellowship with God the Father in Christ Jesus is much more valuable than any riches or fame that this world has to offer. Leaving a legacy behind that you were a follower of Christ is much more valuable than any wealth or possessions you could ever leave behind for loved ones. Leaving behind this most important legacy will provide you with treasures in heaven and will help water and plant seeds to the lost for Christ, which may help snatch them out of the eternal fire (Jude 1:23). Teaching your kids and grandkids the holy scriptures is a commandment from God (Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 6:7, Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 22:6). What an awesome and beautiful legacy to leave behind to your loved ones the teachings of God’s Word!
Oh, how great would your legacy be in heaven because of the impact you made on loved ones’ lives’ where, as a result, they would one day join you in heaven! What a glorious day that will be, to be reunited for all eternity with your loved ones! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God! Praise God in Christ forever and ever!!!
Trust in God through Jesus alone and focus on eternal treasures rather than the lusts of this world as stated in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
If you have walked away from and rebelled against God, turn back to Him NOW through Christ before it’s too late as unveiled in James 5:19-20, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
Watch this inspiring video by Servants for Jesus Christ – Jesus Fulfilled All OT Prophecies. Watch another inspiring video by Servants for Jesus Christ – God Has Always Been. Watch another inspiring video by Servants for Jesus Christ – Be Filled With The Holy Spirit.
Do you know where you will spend eternity after you die on earth? Will Jesus be your Lord and Savior or your eternal judge – John 3:15-21, Romans 2:16, 2 Timothy 4:1? Jesus says He is the narrow gate to heaven where it is difficult to find and only a few will enter by it where many will enter the easy, wide and broad gate that leads to Hell and destruction – Matthew 7:13-14. Will you experience the second eternal death (spiritual death) – Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6, Revelation 21:8? Do you know for sure that you are written in the eternal Lamb’s Book of Life – Revelation 3:5, Revelation 20:12-15? The place called Hell is NOT a myth and is very real and an extremely scary place – Watch this Video!
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