TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE A LEGACY --- IS OR IS NOT THAT THE QUESTION?
Did you, or did you not, experience a mid-life crisis? If so, at what age? If not, why not?
And someone says, "Now you've quit preaching and gone to meddling!"
Most such "crises" occur as folks move from one decade to another-from the 30's to the 40's, from the 40's to the 5O's, from the 5O's to the 6O's.
Mine happened when least expected - the day after my 50th birthday - as it dawned on me that a half century had gone by and that, in all probability, the completion of a second half century would not be mine to celebrate.
Fifty years and counting! Had my life amounted to anything? What about my children? Had they learned valuable lessons that carried over into their lives . . . acquired moral values that stand them in good stead as they make their way through the mazes of an ungodly world?
Dissatisfied with answers given to myself by myself, no time was lost by me in reflecting on my life up to that point, then writing down valuable lessons learned in life, plus moral values to live by - and to hand down from one generation to the next.
To leave or not to leave a legacy is not the question! The real question is: What kind of legacy will mine be?
That said ,"legacy" is not my favorite word to use at funeral services - due to the mixed connotations the term implies to some folks. The definition of legacy - something left behind after a person has passed away - means different things to different people - so a simpler way to put it would be:
“Legacy is more about sharing what we have learned, not just what we have earned, and bequeathing values over valuables inasmuch as material wealth is only a small fraction of one’s legacy."
The point to be made by this last in our series of studies about the reforms made by King Asa of Judah (reforms made during the first three and a half decades of his reign) is: One's manner of living (way of life) impacts others (present and future) in one way or another - hopefully and prayerfully, for the better!
In this lesson: We learn that Asa's faith and manner of living (way of life) had a positive impact on his son whose influence, along with his father's, would be felt by future generations.
The death of King Asa (the reformer) brought great sadness to Judah. King for four decades! The people loved him; they honored him! But, as is inevitable in all families, whether of royalty or not, "influence" is passed on to a new generation - 2 Chronicles 17:1-13 ... "Like father, like son"!
For much of his reign, Jehoshaphat's leadership substance and style were very similar to his father's and his ancestor David's! Thus, he was ascribed that distinct honor and privilege as was Jesus: "He was of the house and lineage of David”.
Whether we like it or not - who our ancestors were, where we came from, what we've come through to get where we are now, speaks volumes about why we are the way we are.
While some folks feel honored by their ancestry and others feel ashamed, Jehoshaphat - like Jesus, like me - delighted in his ancestry and desired to follow in the steps of his forefathers - insofar as he should and could, for, like it is in all families, there are positive and negative traits, good and bad habits, righteous and unrighteous ways.
Comes to mind a couple of ways one might talk to a youngster looking forward to becoming a man - "Boy, you're gonna grow up to be just like your daddy!" "Boy, you wanna grow up to be like your dad"! One is a warning, the other a yearning!
Evidence suggests that, in his heart, Jehoshaphat harbored both warning and yearning¬ to be like his father before his father's downfall ... to be like David except for his grievous sins.
Four ways this new king satisfied the yearning in his heart to be the leader he ought to be . . . while heeding the warnings in his head to avoid the pitfalls of his predecessors:
(1) Jehoshaphat bought into the honorable ways of those who went before him. For example: He followed through on his father's wishes by strengthening those fortifications at Ramah (the border city) to protect his nation from enemy nations.
(2) Jehoshaphat sought a personal relationship with the God of his Fathers -
so that he and the nation might walk in paths of righteousness. For example: He followed in his father's steps by continuing spiritual fortifications to protect the people from evil forces.
(3) Jehoshaphat taught the people of God the ways of the LORD their God.
This good man, gifted with 20-20 hindsight, understood why people became lax in their worship of God . . . gifted with 20-20 insight, knew why people need to live by God's instructions ... gifted with 20-20 foresight, went a step further than his father by implementing a religious education program, using as their only textbook, The Pentateuch (God's instructions recorded by Moses - the first five books of the Bible).
(4) Jehoshaphat fraught enemies of God with the fear of God - as evidenced by: terror felt by the Philistines due to their perception of Judah's great strength which they attributed to the king's reliance on the Lord . . . gifts they brought to the new king in an attempt to keep on the good side of such a fearless leader.
When we read the rest of the story about Jehoshaphat's reign, we learn that he was not perfect . . . had flaws . . . committed gross errors of judgment . . died --- the story of mankind!
Even as we do the best we can to live for the Lord a life that is true, striving to please Him in all that we do, from time to time we all struggle with right versus wrong- probably more often than we might be willing to admit.
Yet, we keep on setting our sights on things that are nobler, things that are higher, confident that the Lord our God will see us through all the ups and downs associated with trying to live a godly life in an ungodly world.
My calculation, at this point in my journey, is: Based on efforts to follow the examples of godly persons who influenced me in the past ... daily direction given to me by the Spirit of God . . . promises made to all of God's children who remain faithful to the finish --- everything is going to turn out okay.
Like the little girl said to her grandfather - as he read for the umpteenth time the story about the wolf that kept huffing and puffing and threatening to blow the little pigs' house down, but adding a few worried looks and sighs as he read - "Don’t worry, granddaddy, everything’s gonna be okay at the end”.
The tasks which Jehoshaphat applied himself to - strengthening his nation's defenses, storing up supplies for protection against famine, securing the city against crime, inscribing God's instructions on the hearts of God's people - all of these taken together teach a valuable lesson in godly living to pass on to those who follow in our steps:
A legacy of faith in God and obedience to His commands precludes a legacy of failure to heed what He says and do what He wills!
To live a godly life in an ungodly world is a challenging task Christians ought to accept with courage and confidence!
If David could, we can . . . If Asa could, we can . . . if Jehoshaphat could, we can! Truth is: We can better than they could!
With God as our Father, Christ as our Savior, and the Holy Spirit of God as our companion, why not resolve to live a godly life in an ungodly world? Amen.
