What is your legacy?

1 Kings 11:11-13
Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

1 Kings 15:3-5
[Abijam] walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. Nevertheless for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

2 Kings 8:18-19
[Jehoshaphat] walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Isaiah 37:33-35
"Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city," declares the LORD. "I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!"

Are you taking advantage of this time on earth to leave a lasting legacy? Or will you be forgotten once you pass on? What you do in this life will influence generations to come. David is an example of how obedience to the LORD can affect future generations in a positive way, even in their disobedience. David was described as a man after God’s own heart. Although he made many mistakes, he turned to God in repentance and gained favor in His sight. Because of this favor, God spared kings, kingdoms and entire cities for the sake of keeping David’s name alive. David’s son Solomon was blessed because of his obedience, and even when Solomon turned to other gods the LORD had mercy “for the sake of his father David.” The LORD gave David so much favor that He called Jesus Christ “the son of David.” When you pass on, will God have mercy on your future generations for your name’s sake?

Paul left a legacy through his spiritual sons Timothy and Titus. He instructed them in the ways of the LORD, commanding them to follow him as he followed Christ. Because of Paul’s obedience, the church was established all over the globe and countless souls came to know the LORD. His letters are still being used as scripture and every day people come into the knowledge of the Truth because of the words written by Paul.

Your decisions can affect your posterity in a negative way as well: “…I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” – Deuteronomy 5:9

Are you laying up a positive legacy, built upon the foundation of Christ that was set before you? Or are you living a lackadaisical life, full of vanity and disobedience? It is time for us as Christians to walk according to the Spirit of the LORD, allowing the Holy Spirit to use us to lift up a standard against the works of darkness. It is time that we lay up an inheritance for our future generations in heaven, where moths and rust cannot corrupt.