Legacy

Verses

2 Timothy 1:1–7 NIV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Introduction

Paul is writing to his young protégé, Timothy. Timothy has clearly made a significant impact on Paul. Paul, is drawing on memories of ministry together. Paul is describing respect and admiration for Timothy’s faith and his boldness in that faith.

Timothy has a legacy with Paul. And it is a powerful one.

Transition

There is a line from a Louis L’amour book that I remember reading as a child. In the book an old cowboy is discussing how he sees his existence as being somewhat useless and futile. The old cowboy says something like, “Stick your finger into a bucket of water and then pull it out. The hole you see is what you leave behind.” In other words, once you leave this world there is no true lasting difference left in the world from your life. In the book, the old cowboy was sad and discouraged as he said it. As a young teen reading it, I found myself feeling sad and tired reading it. I could understand the cowboy’s struggle to come to terms with his mortality and to understand the impact he made in the world.

While we may not verbalize it in quite the same negative manner as the old cowboy, we all worry about our mortality. We all wonder what we will be remembered for. Some even worry if they will be remembered at all.

This is not an unreasonable concern.

James 4:14 NIV

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

But is that all there is?

Of course not!

We are children of the King. We are moving towards glory surrounded by grace and mercy. As believers, we are certain of eternity. Our legacy is entwined with and linked to God’s presence and the legacy of the cross. Jesus has secured our legacy.

Our Impact

What is our impact?

Honestly, we can’t truly measure it. But we don’t have to. We can have faith that God has used us to his purpose.

Timothy’s legacy with Paul is shaped by three things:

Love

Faith

Boldness

These are all things that we can also do. We can love others. We can build our faith, and we can be bold in expressing and living our faith.

We can build our legacy.

All Saints Day

Today we are remembering those that we have lost this year. But I want to be clear. They are only lost in the here and now. Their legacy remains. And because their legacy remains, that means that they remain.

The old cowboy in the Louis L’amour book was wrong. We do leave a mark and make a difference. We build a legacy and that legacy lives on.

Today we celebrate the legacy of the saints that have outrun us to heaven this year.

Conclusion

Today is both sad but is also a celebration. It is a celebration of life. A celebration of love. A celebration of faith. A celebration of boldness in faith. A celebration of our God. A God that ensures our present and our future. A God that ensures our legacy.