Legacies

Presidents' real concern is to leave a "legacy"; how posterity is to remember them. We all leave a legacy, but most people want to leave memories of the good things they do.  Unfortunately, for most famous people, legacies have little to do with what is truly "good", but what they perceive to be.  Since, I'm a Christian and believe "only God is good!" (Matthew 19:7), then mys standard for "good" is what God wills to be done. People even have different perceptions of what God wills because of their own bias and theological doctrine.

Liberal Christians believe mostly that scripture is a guide for living. It directs them how to live in accordance with what's best for society. As such their doctrine is "social justice". They don't care all that much that their leaving society behind with rampant sin which they call "moral issues". What they care about the most is "economic issues" and what they did to make life better for those who haven't been successful on their own.

God would rather any leader to leave a legacy of a righteous, but poor nation; rather than an evil, but prosperous one! However, if we are righteous we shall be prosperous! That's the Abrahamic Covenant; the deal God made with mankind in Abraham's time. A leader who desires to leave a "good" legacy, then, would do what's right in God's eyes and the nation will prosper because of obedience! That's not to be.

Jesus had compassion on the meek and the poor. However, his compassion didn't extend to the abolishment of poverty, which he could have done for he said "You will always have the poor!" (Matthew 26:11). If Jesus had eliminated poverty he would have left a great legacy, but his legacy is something so much better; it is hope!

Jesus could have wiped out poverty with one wave of the hand, but he directed US to help the poor. However, his emphasis was not on poverty, but the "poor in spirit". His legacy, I repeat, one of hope; the hope of salvation!

Matthew 11:5  (What Jesus did) "The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."

Jesus left a legacy! It wasn't wealth for the poor. It wasn't money, but spiritual comfort. "Life is tough for the poor now, but the meek shall inherit the earth, and they will find comfort in heaven!" That's the legacy of Jesus; and by the way, he did "level the playing field" because he's not a respecter of persons! (Acts 10:34). Jesus never promised social justice or equal wealth. His focus was on "equal opportunity" for salvation. He could have forced "equal outcomes", but then justice would not be served. We are rewarded for our "works" and our "tasks"  our simple: repentance, acceptance, belief and trust. How hard can that be? Apparently, most people find it humiliating because they'd rather face an angry God than a loving Savior! They want their name in the "books', but not in the book that counts!

Right now I'm leaving a legacy. My desire is that my descendants, by reading this, know that although I am an awful sinner, that being a weak human, I do what my flesh wants to do rather than what my mind desires to do. I am guilty just as Paul explained it:

Romans 7:19 "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

Paul struggled with "the flesh". I do too! You also struggle with the flesh. We all wish to do "good", but our carnal nature interferes with what we desire to do. I want my legacy to be what my heart desires rather than what I do! However, in spite of my flesh, I want posterity to read my writings and say "He was only human, but his heart was in doing good. He believed in the word of God and wanted everyone to do God's will!" That's a "good" legacy and that's the impression I want to leave with everyone. Whether I am rewarded or not is up to God, but I present myself to Jesus; stained, but cleansed. He did the cleaning. I'm assured that Jesus can be trusted to do what he says!

John 14:2b " ...if it were not so, I would have told you." (Jesus's words about heaven)

King Sargon was spoken of in The Old Testament.  History had no other accounts that Sargon even existed. He was lost to posterity and had no legacy at all. In fact, Sargon had become a non-entity. He never existed in the minds of those who came after him. Jews and Christians had faith in scripture. They believed that he existed, but those unique people who believe merely in science denied his existence until one day archaeologists discovered Sargon's palace long ago concealed by God.  Sargon, for hundreds of years, had no legacy. Now his legacy is that he was the most prominent king of that era!

On the other hand we look at another man:

Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me."

A royal and great king for quite some time left no legacy! However, here we have "blind Bartimaeus" who is still known, with continuity, for nearly 2000 years! Who would have ever thought that a poor blind man, would set the example for centuries?  Did he do great things? No! He merely did one great thing: he cried out to Jesus "have mercy on me"  because he believed that the Son of man came "to give his life a ransom for many"!

We still remember him today. Jesus said that "The meek shall inherit the earth". (Matthew 5:5). It was his way of saying "It's not kings who are important, but the unimportant people in the eyes of the world!: Bartimaeus will never be forgotten. His legacy will live on! Not only will people still read about a poor blind man who cried out to Jesus, but millions cry out in the same way that Bartimaeus did! By doing so, their legacy is eternal. Not only is Bartimaeus written of in Holy Scripture, but more importantly he's written about in two books: The Book of Life and The Other Book..

For my regular readers you know that I often refer to the two trees in the Garden of Eden as :The Tree of Life" and "The Other Tree"? These are symbolic of the two books because they are symbolic of two choices.!

Those who sought refuge under "The Tree of Life" have their names in The Book of Life.  Those who stood under "The Other Tree" have their sins recorded in The Other Book.  Bartimaeus stood under the "Tree of Life" and has his name recorded in The Book of Life.  I believe that Bartimaeus' life is recorded too in The Other Book  for it includes all that comes from "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil".  Just as "The Other Tree" includes knowledge of both "good" and "evil", recorded in The Other Book is both "good" and "evil"  (I believe that Christians too will face God on judgment day, but will be judged righteous).

For those who never cried out to Jesus as Bartimaeus did, all the evil they ever did will be recorded in The Other Book.. For those who cry out to Jesus, all they did will be blotted out and The Other Book will merely say "Bartimaeus, a poor beggar cried out to Jesus because Jesus paid the price for him!" That's Bartimaeus' legacy!

Now let me digress back to me! What I have done would fill many pages of The Other Book.  However, I want that book to merely say  "Larry cried out to Jesus!" That's all the legacy that matters. God conveniently "forgets" all the things which could be in that Other Book and replaces it with one thing: "Larry cried out!" As any good Teacher does, Jesus will give me a compliment: "Well done, good and faithful servant!" My hope is that be my legacy. My only wish is that Bartimaues and I have the same legacy. Sargon, now discovered, can have his; I'll take what Bartimaues is having!