Legacy
King David was a man whose reputation was that of war and bloodshed. Even though some men would be proud of such a reputation, I’m guessing the “man after God’s own heart” would not have chosen this for his legacy. This is what God had for him, however. He was the man to establish Israel as a dynasty in his day. By the ways in which he served and followed and battled and ruled, he revealed the glory of God for all the world to see.
But his God-led reputation prohibited him from building the stunning temple that God wanted built.
Solomon was to be the person who accomplished this honorable directive. Notice what David does, never-the-less, in 1Chronicles 22:5:
David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
David left a legacy. He did everything he could to make sure his son, and the others who followed in his wake, would have every opportunity to succeed in a big way. No–he was not the man to build the temple. His gift to the Lord was of a very different nature. David, however, decided to do whatever he possibly could to enable success for those who followed.
What is the legacy that you want to leave?
David collected 4,ooo tons of gold, 40,000 tons of silver, and so much iron and bronze that it could never be weighed! He gather mountains of timber and stone for the temple as well. He did what he could…and it was incredibly impressive.
The legacy most of us leave will not consist of gold and silver. Rather, it will be the way we have selflessly encouraged others to passionately live for God. It will be constructed of selfless generosity, radical faith, liberal encouragement, risky adventures, bold affirmations, and godly modelling. At least if we want to leave a positive legacy. There are many ways to leave a negative legacy — be selfish (even in the things of God), serve no-one, be a critic, see the dark side of things, think of yourself first, complain, get what you want, etc. We know the drill….
So — what will you leave in your wake? There’s no time like now to begin living to leave a legacy.
