Legacy

Standing on a ridge west of Gettysburg, PA last night, I looked thoughtfully across the valley that stretched out in front of me trying to imagine the thunder of cannon, the crack of rifles, the yells of colonels on horseback, the screams of the wounded and dying. All around me there were monuments (about 1,000!) to the men who had fought on these Pennsylvania fields - obelisks carved with names of military units, bronze bas relief scenes. The horror of the 3 day battle that raged here on the first three days of July, 1863 is simply beyond my imagination. When the battle ended, there were 51,000 casualties, 1/3 of those who were sent into the battles were killed or wounded! For the men who survived the carnage, what happened here never faded from memory all the rest of their days. They were determined that no one should forget, so they came back again and again in the four decades that closed the nineteenth century, building monuments to stand as silent sentinels so we would not forget the blood that spilled here.

But it is not stone and bronze that is their greatest memorial. President Lincoln's 2 minute long speech, the amazing 'Gettysburg Address,' points to the true legacy of the men who battled here: "we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." That these United States of America still continue to offer freedom and prosperity to millions as the world's greatest democracy is the most enduring monument!

What will be the legacy of the battles you fight?
What monuments will give testament to your life 50 years from this day?

For those who live only for creature comforts, to accumulate possessions, or to create a fiefdom over which they can be a petty lord- the only monument will likely be a stone in a cemetery! But for those who live with passion, who love deeply, who pray and serve - there will be changed lives that are 'living stones.' By way of illustration, let me mention my grandfather now long gone from this earth. The money he made was spent years ago, the land he owned has all been divided and sold. But Walter Scott's lasting legacy are the lives of men and women who are now lived in the shadow of the Throne of God. His conversion to Christ and his leadership of his family in a way that pointed to Eternity has an effect that continues to exercise influence decades after his death.

Live in faith! Pray that God will give you a powerful vision for your life that will draw you on to greater exploits, but not for self aggrandizement, but for His honor.

Here's a word from the Word for this day: "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise.
Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children—a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:8-12, NLT)

Let's keep the legacy in mind!
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Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road,
And those who've gone before us
Line the way.
Cheering on the faithful,
Encouraging the weary,
Their lives a stirring testament
To God's sustaining grace.

O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion
Light their way.
May the footprints that we leave,
Lead them to believe,
And the lives we live
Inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful.

Surrounded by so great
A cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race
Not only for the prize,
But as those who've gone before us.
Let us leave to those behind us,
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on thru godly lives.

After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone,
And our children sift thru all
We've left behind,
May the clues that they discover,
And the mem'ries they uncover,
Become the light that leads them,
To the road we each must find.

© 1987 Jonathan Mark Music ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management / Birdwing Music (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 810055