Jun 4, 2021
In this show you will learn:
Welcome to today’s episode. This is a podcast about leaving behind a legacy of faith because God created us for a faith-filled purpose that extends beyond ourselves.
My last show was “Finding Hope in a Turbulent World.” I wanted to shift the focus to faith because once we learn about faith then we have so much hope for our everyday lives. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. It's in the believing for things that we do not yet see that we are blessed. I don’t physically see God, but I feel him in my heart. He created me and my acceptance of this brings peace, hope, joy, despite the pain of the world.
Essentially, faith is believing before seeing. What is hope? Hope is believing in better things to come, and there are always better things to come with Christ, the perfecter of our faith.
When we live life with purpose and meaning and you know who you truly belong to, you become a legend. You don’t have to be fancy or have a million subscribers. I want you to learn to live like a legend God’s way.
Michael Hyatt in his book Living Forward says that
“By the time we hit forty or fifty, we find ourselves disoriented, exhausted, and adrift. We’re overworked, our health isn’t great, and our relationships have deteriorated. Life doesn’t look anything like what we previously imagined – and we have no idea how we’ve drifted so far off course.”
So, he’s saying we need a life plan for the strategy. Michael goes on to say that “The key message here is: Your vision of your legacy will guide the design of your Life Plan.
“Approach reflecting on your legacy just as you’d approach booking a vacation; choose your destination first and then plan how to get there. Your legacy is your destination. Your Life Plan will be your means of getting there.
To help you imagine your legacy, ask yourself what people would say about your life if you were to die today. Write your own eulogy. Be brutally honest about the highs and lows. This will reveal the areas of your life that are going well and the ones that need more attention.
Reflect on who’s at your funeral, too, and how they feel. What memories will people share? Are those memories rich and loving? Or do they fall a little flat? How does that make you feel? Is there anything you wish people were saying, but aren’t? These reflections will reveal what’s currently missing in your life.
Once you’ve written your eulogy, create a list of Legacy Statements by identifying how you want the important groups of people in your life to remember you. These might include your family, friends, and work colleagues.”
This is fair advice but when we do this we need to ensure that God is included in our eulogy. After all, hopefully, when you die you are good on meeting Him, and if you have built your faith you will have no regrets. None of our lives will have been perfect but if we have a relationship with Christ we are content with this. We can have peace and forgiveness.
It’s not easy I know. I often don’t feel like a legend. At least now I’m aware and I’m trying. Thinking back when I was living in sin I was not thinking about what people would say at my eulogy. If I would have done this I would be embarrassed. Therefore, I chose to live in denial. At least until my life got so bad that I actually faced the possibility of death. Today, I’m saying don’t wait until you’re on your deathbed. Take steps today to live a life you can be proud of.
I want to see your legacy live on for all eternity!
Earthly legends change, John Wayne is a lot different than Prince. But we are not of this world we belong to the Maker of the World. When we share about God and his son Jesus Christ we share a legacy that has no end.
It can be nice to remember our heroes from the past. My dad enjoys watching old John Wayne movies. Sometimes I listen to “Little Red Corvette.” But then the song or the movie comes to an end. Then I go back to washing dishes or taking my kid to soccer practice. I recognize that some may call the late Prince a legend but truthfully it’s what he sang and not who he was that made him legendary: he will not hold a legacy in my heart because I know the song and the song maker is temporary.
I can’t escape reality forever. Even if there is nothing ethically wrong with your legend the reality is we need to build upon a legacy that lasts. It starts with you and me. We need to trust in a legend that will never fail us and wants the best for us. This legend does not look to the best interest of himself but rather is very interested in us, His chosen people.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” -1 Peter 2:9
I want to stress that our purpose doesn’t come from the world, it comes from God.
I want you to start believing in the best for your life or believing again.
I want you to believe that you are not your mistakes. I want you to join me in this faith journey. When we die we may be able to hand down possessions, but we can truly make an impact when we leave behind a legacy of faith. How can you live differently today so that you can make a greater impact tomorrow?
Comfortable is easy and we are inclined to stay there. But we can’t get to where we’re going being comfortable. Jesus was not comfortable on the cross. Yet what He did make a way for you and me so that we can have hope. Now we must believe and walk in this truth.
This is your action plan to build your legacy.
You see, generally, others know that we live in an imperfect world because, they, too, miss the mark, as did Adam and Eve. Imperfections are nothing new. In the beginning of time, Adam and Eve were so ashamed of theirs they thought they must hide behind a bush. They were naked and ashamed. Let’s stop living a life that we're ashamed of. Perhaps, you did fight with your spouse the night before, but learn to live in such a way that people remember your willingness to forgive. Maybe you struggled with anger, but people remember you trying to resolve them.
Choose today to start living a life full of purpose that you share with others even when you're gone. The best gift you can bring to others is to introduce them to Christ. The best gift we can give to ourselves is to discover our purpose in Christ. We can only learn our true purpose in life when we begin walking with Christ (more on this in our next episode). We must start living that life now so that we are able to share.
To move forward in faith we must ask ourselves: Do you acknowledge that your imperfect? Are you willing to forgive yourself and look beyond yourself to something and someone much greater?
I would love it if you joined me in striving to leave a legacy of faith.
We know that when we die as the Bible says the things of this world will pass away, but we are striving for a legacy that will live on forever.
In closing:
Leaving a legacy of faith ensures that others will come closer to God as a result of what they learned from you.
On your deathbed, it’s not going to matter that your husband bought you that fancy new car. Maybe he’ll get to drive it – but what’s more important is where you’re driving it to. You want to ensure that those you leave behind are driving with an eternal purpose that way they can join you in eternity
We can’t wait until we’re dead to leave a legacy. We got to build it now. In this we find our identity and purpose. In this way, we can truly live.
If we choose to put our identity in things we lose sight of who we really are. We can easily see how the love of money will dry us out. We keep searching for the next high, all the while knowing we can’t take these things with us. If we live this way we will always be trading our car for something new. That’s the cycle of the world, always searching for the next big thing. If we choose to put God first, we are the next big thing, both now and forever. Start living a life of faith now, not before it’s too late. You are more than the possessions you leave behind. Some people leave no possessions yet are so rich in faith their story is treasured forever.
Purposely choose to shift your focus. If your breathing it’s not too late. A message of faith will plant a seed in others for them to grow and bloom. Begin planting today.
Remember: Before you can plant you must have something to share, right? My question for you today, is what do you have that is worthy of sharing? If it’s nothing you are proud of then start today improving your life. One step at a time
I suggest building your faith, not because I think it sounds good but because from my own experience I have learned of God’s grace and love. I once lived in darkness and hopelessness, but I prayed, and God heard me. Now I have a testimony and you do to. By building your faith and learning about God you will discover exactly what your testimony is. That’s where I come in. I’m excited to help you build your faith so you can leave behind an endless legacy.
Thank you for joining me today. If you would like to hear more about me you can go to alisamassey.com. and if you have a faith story to share contact me at contact@alisamassey.com. Our next episode will be about how to discover our purpose and walk in it. I spoke in this episode about how “we can only learn our true purpose in life when we begin walking with Christ,” therefore we must learn to walk the narrow path instead of what is always appealing to society.