Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

Nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:11-12, KJV

What kind of legacy are you leaving for your children, for your children's children, and for their children? Many people are focusing upon the physical. They want to make a name for themselves and their families. Or perhaps they just want to leave their descendants well off for generations to come. This is called "legacy money"! And, for those who are building such a house to succeed them long after they are gone, you must understand this: You are leaving a curse! You might as well be leaving a legacy of cancer. You would be better off leaving them a legacy of extreme poverty, for at least then they would have to struggle to survive, and that struggle might actually produce something that could prove meaningful to them.

Before I leave this idea of legacy money, please do not think that I am saying that leaving a family business or family farm would fall under this "legacy money" category. In the instance of passing down the family business, you are in reality passing down hard work that has the potential to develop character rather than harm it. In such a situation, for kids who will not sell your life's work for fast money but who will cherish it and build it further in a good way for good reasons, you are doing well. On the other hand, it's the extreme wealth of legacy money that will cause your descendants to live a life of pampered luxury that I am referring to. This is the type of legacy that the psalmist describes in the passage above. Those who build up their houses for such purposes truly are like the beasts that perish. They are seeking honor for themselves and their families, and this is something that leads to a curse, not a blessing.

But there is another legacy that I want to recommend: It is a legacy of service!

I can remember many years ago hearing a preacher speaking on things that were truly important, when he brought up a concept that I had never thought about before. He said that he prayed each day that not one of his children, not one of his grandchildren, indeed, not one of any of his descendants down to the end of time would ever be lost, but that each and every one would be with God in Heaven someday. Now, this was a bold new thought for me. What an audacious request! Could a man really think that such a prayer would be answered? Wasn't this a personal decision for each of his successors?

And of course, it is an individual decision, but he was not praying for them to be saved regardless of the righteous (or unrighteous) lives that they might one day live. He was talking about devoting his family to God! And I have to admit that this was a concept that has stuck with me for nearly four decades now, ever since I heard him describe it. And I have prayed the same prayer since that time, with one critical adjustment: I pray now, each day, several times a day, that our family will be a family of servants. Furthermore, I pray that each and every family member, from this moment until the end of this world, will be a servant who will continue this service before God and Christ for all eternity.

And the reason I even think that this would be a permissible prayer, and the reason that I pray it, is that God is worthy of such service. He created us. He gave us the breath of life and were He to withdraw it, we would cease to exist. The sole reason that we have this existence in the first place is because of Him, and the reason that He gave us life is that He loves us. He proved the extent of that love as well as the extent of His desire for us to be with Him forever by allowing His only begotten Son to die for our sins that would have prevented us from being with Him for eternity.

Such love and such sacrifice on the part of the Father and the Son deserves our devotion! And each one of us, male or female, important in the eyes of men or otherwise, have both the right and the obligation to devote ourselves and our descendants to Their service - for all eternity.

This is legacy!

In fact, it is the only type of legacy that truly matters, both in this life and the life to come. We have been placed here on this earth as a gift of God. He gives us satisfying service, if we will just accept it. For those who will, God gives the offer of eternal service. I don't know exactly what this service will be, but I know the One who was capable of creating a world with such physical beauty and that is filled with uncountable avenues of satisfying work for us to do while here, is more than capable of providing a heaven that is even better. The offer of this service that has been extended to us and our families is a privilege so monumental that it is almost beyond our comprehension. Can we do anything less than accept that offer? Can we leave any kind of legacy to our families that is even remotely as important?

The answer is we cannot. We have an opportunity to leave behind a legacy of service - one that will save each and every one of our descendants, and one that will provide an eternity of the only kind of wealth and blessings that truly matters. If you haven't already, I would encourage you this very day to devote the rest of your days towards this legacy for your successors. It is a legacy with the power to save your family. More important, it is a legacy that will permit you and your descendants to fulfil the purpose for which we have all been created: To serve God and Christ, forever!

This is legacy! Furthermore, it is the least that we can do for the Ones who have given us so much. The only question that remains is this: Will you leave such a legacy for your family? Or, tragically, will you try to leave a legacy that does nothing more than attempt to place you in honor, rather than the One who created you? One is a curse, and one a blessing. Which legacy will you leave for your family?