HOW WILL YOU BE REMEMBERED?

Nehemiah 5:19 NKJV Remember me, my God, for good, according  to all that I have done for this people.

I’ve been think a lot about legacy and what lasting imprint any of us leaves behind after we’re gone. 

When I think about the legacy of different men - my thoughts go from amazing to absolutely corrupting.

How will you be remembered in life? It’s a big question.  It demands looking at how you are living now and the impact you leaving with people in the wake of your life.

Proverbs 13:22 NKJV - A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

A legacy is defined as (1) money or property bequeathed to another by will or (2) something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past. Legacies are rare and special gifts, from one person to another, from one generation to the next. 

As Christians we should seek to leave a lasting legacy of godliness for those who come behind us.

Proverbs 22:1 NKJV A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

“In our day we live in an age of moral vacuum. It seems like character doesn’t count. To put it candidly, you can sleep around and still be a good brain surgeon. You can cheat on your mate and have little trouble continuing to practice law. Apparently, it is no problem to stay in politics and plagiarize. You can be a successful salesperson and cheat on your income tax. Seeing this we have allowed this attitude to permeate throughout Christianity. The perception is that you can do these things and still be a good Christian. But the reality is you cannot do those things as a Christian and continue enjoying the Lord’s blessing.” – (adapted from C. Swindoll)

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue (moral excellence), to virtue knowledge, 2 Peter 1:5 NKJV

We put a great amount of value on reputation but there is a vast difference between Character and Reputation...

• Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are.

• Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away.

• Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime.

• Reputation grows like a mushroom; Character grows like an oak.

• Your reputation is learned in an hour; Your character is does not come to light for a year.

• A single newspaper report gives your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character.

• Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; Character makes you happy or makes you miserable.

• Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; Character is what angels say about you before the throne of God.

• Your reputation is what men think you are. Your character is what God knows you to be.

Your Character will impact generations to come.

One man, Max Jukes, did not believe in religion and married a girl of the same opinion. From this union came 1,026 descendants. Studies showed that 300 died prematurely; 100 were sent to the penitentiary; 190 sold themselves to vice; 100 were drunkards,; and the family cost the state of New York $1,100,00.00!

Another man, Jonathan Edwards, believed in God and in his Christian training and married a girl of like character. From that union 729 descendants were studied and they discovered that 300 were preachers, 65 were college professors, 13 were university presidents; 6 authors; 3 U.S. Congressmen and 1 was vice president of the United States

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:6‭-‬7 NKJV

2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV -  When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

Daddy had a little boy; His soul was white as snow. He never went to Sunday school cause Daddy wouldn’t go. He never heard the Word of God. That thrills the childish mind, while other children went to class, This child was left behind. As he grew from babe to youth, Dad saw to his dismay, a soul that once was snowy white, Became a dingy grey. Realizing that his son was lost, Dad tried to win him back. But now the soul that once was white had turned an ugly black. Dad even started back to church, and Bible study too; He begged the preacher, "Isn’t there a thing you can do?" The preacher tried, failed, and said "We’re just too far behind; I tried to tell you years ago, But you would pay me no mind." And so another soul was lost, that once was white as snow; Sunday School would have helped, But Daddy wouldn’t go. - Pulpit Helps

May God give you the grace to be remembered "well."