ONE MONTH TO LIVE - FRIDAY "LEGACY"

In our final daily devotion of the week, I want to ask you a few questions: If you only had one month to live, what would be your legacy? What would you be remembered for? What would you have done in this life?

Today, we are going to try to grasp the concept of: The kind of mark we are leaving on this earth by using a couple biblical principles to build our legacy on. The first is this…

1)There are actions of the wise and actions of the fool, the Bible says. And it’s wise to obey.
In Matthew 7, Jesus is speaking and says this, “Anyone who listens to My teaching and obeys Me is wise like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against the house it won’t collapse." Why? Because it’s built on rock. Makes sense. But He goes on to say this: "anyone who hears My teaching and ignores it is foolish like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and the floods come and the winds beat against the house it will fall with a mighty crash.” A solid rock is Jesus’ visual image of something that we know will last. Jesus is saying it’s not just about listening to My teaching. That’s nothing. Fools can do that. It’s about obeying My teaching. You obey My teaching and you are building your life on a solid foundation.

What comes to my mind is something unmovable? Maybe you have been to the mountains for a vacation. Think about the biggest mountain you have ever seen. It’s just unmovable. That’s the picture of obedience and wisdom.

Then He gives the flip side. There’s a picture of a fool and that’s the person who builds his house directly on the beach in southern California. You might think, “What a great view!” as you slide into the ocean. He’s saying obedience, if you choose obedience, you are wise. Let’s move on to the next one.

2)Obedience to God’s ways will produce fruitfulness.
Another principle I want you to grab onto in John 15. Jesus says “Remain in Me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine. And you cannot be fruitful apart from Me.” Jesus makes it very clear that if you’re going to obey you’ve got to be connected to Me. And if you’re connected to Me, that obedience is going to produce fruit.

You might be thinking “Fruit! Fruit’s a sissy word. Fruit is my return on investment if I’m obedient?” Some of you might be thinking, I don’t even like fruit. I’m more of a cheeseburger or Taco Bell kind of person. But fruit in the Bible, fruit is a biblical metaphor for richness of life. When you hear you’re going to produce fruit, you’re going to produce something that is amazing. That’s unheard of. That’s awesome. That’s rich. That is everything you dream your life to be. Fruit. It’s a good thing. Obedience to God’s way will produce fruitfulness.

Matthew 7 Jesus said “Yes the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.” Fruit is the result of obedience. You can tell the good tree because it’s producing good fruit.

You can tell a good person who’s producing good fruit. If you want to know what good fruit is Galatians 5. Study that on your own. Galatians 5 says, “The fruit of God’s Spirit will be revealed this way. [Listen to this list and tell me you don’t want this:] Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control.” That’s the fruit of God’s Spirit. Obedience will produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. That’s fruitfulness.

This idea of a fruit tree, I love the spiritual parallel to this. Because a fruit tree, if a fruit tree is healthy it will continue to produce fruit. If it’s healthy.

Think of the spiritual parallel to your life. If you’re healthy, if you remain in Him, if you walk in the way of obedience you will continue to produce fruit.

I have read a story of a fig tree that is in Jerusalem that has been in Jerusalem since the time of Jesus Christ that is still producing figs. For those of you who are the cheeseburger/Taco Bell type people, here’s where it breaks down. To get a steak you’ve got to kill the cow. The cow’s dead. You have your steak but it doesn’t produce anymore. That’s why the Bible is smarter than us. It’s not about a cow, it’s about fruit. A fruit tree is a great image for legacy.

3)Obedience and fruitfulness will leave a legacy.

This is the winning combination. This is it. If you choose obedience God’s way, remain in Him, connected to Jesus, if you choose obedience – key word choose – you will produce fruitfulness. And that fruitfulness will leave a legacy. That fruitfulness will last.

Watch what Jesus said in John 15 “I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last.” So what are we talking about? Obedience is the action, fruitfulness is the result now – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control – that’s the result now; Legacy is what will last.
The apostle Paul who wrote over half the books in the New Testament, he uses these same terms really to summarize his life. He uses the terms of death and fruitful living. Philippians 1 Paul says, “For to me living is for Christ and dying is even better. Yet if I live that means fruitful service for Christ.”
Why would he say, “dying is even better”? Because you’re in heaven! You’d be in the presence of God. He had this confident assurance that eternal life for him was not going to be eternal life separated from God. That’s hell. But he was going to have eternal life with God, in God’s presence. So of course, nothing compares to the presence of God. So to live is Christ, but to die that would even be better. To die would be gain. But it’s ok if I have to live, it will include fruitful service. Not just living, not just existing, not just taking up space. If I’ve got to live it’s going to be fruitful living.

So what now? What legacy are you leaving? If you are not producing "fruit" in your life, why not? This is where your life's values and priorities need to change. For the rest of the weekend, think about your life and what you need to change. Right now, spend some time asking God to help you.

See you Sunday!!!

Dan