REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Barry Kang who heads Symphony Church in Boston, is an updated version of his blog first posted on September 16, 2014. He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min.).
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“What Legacy Would You Want to Leave Behind?“
Ecclesiastes 7:1-2
A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. 2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
On my first day in seminary, my professor asked our class what legacy we would want to leave behind. But more specifically, she asked us what we would want to have written on our tombstone, and even had us write down an inscription describing our lives. She theorized that knowing what kind of legacy we wanted to leave behind would help us set the appropriate goals to achieve it. There must have been something to that question because after more than twelve years, I still remember that class (though I don’t remember what I wrote).
The Teacher tells us that “the day of death [is better] than the day of birth.” That’s a hard truth to swallow. As a culture, we celebrate birth and mourn death, and since we think happiness is better than sadness, emotionally, we reason that birth is better than death. We enjoy making a big deal about birthdays…until they start reminding us that our death date is coming closer.
At birth, we are a bundle of unrealized potential, and there is a beauty and hope to that potential. Likewise, each new calendar year brings the hope of potential; the potential for growth; the potential to be loved and to love; and the potential to materially impact another life. And over the course of this life, we have the opportunity to realize that potential. At death, we leave behind a life-time of love, relationships and human impact; in short, a legacy. Remember, a life well lived is more beautiful than a life still to be lived.
Prayer: Father, thank You that today holds the potential to love you and to love others. Help me to realize that potential today. I want to live my life well and leave behind a legacy of people I’ve loved and served. Thank You for your love and the way You have served me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Esther 2
Lunch Break Study
Read Deuteronomy 34:10-12: And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Questions to Consider
- What legacy did Moses leave behind?
- Why was it important that Moses knew God “face to face”?
- How can we leave behind the legacy that God desires?
Notes
- In this passage, he is described as a prophet above all other prophets, one who knew the Lord face-to-face. Moses did signs and wonders during his time in leading the Israelites. Beyond this passage, we know that Moses left behind a spiritual legacy (as the founder of Judaism) which continues to impact all the peoples of God.
- “Face to face” describes the intimacy Moses enjoyed with God. Intimacy with God was crucial to Moses’ legacy. Through his relationship with the Lord, Moses was able to do all the things mentioned above. Ultimately, it was not Moses who did those things (Moses wasn’t the one to part the seas, or make water spring from the rock, or any of the other marvelous feats); it was God, working through Moses, doing those supernatural works. Through Moses’ intimacy and also his obedience, he was able to be used by God and, thus, leave behind a great legacy.
- Like Moses, we need intimacy with God and a willingness to do as He says. To use the metaphor of clay, we need to be moldable (obedient) and remain in the hands of the Master (intimacy). As we remain in God’s hands with a willing heart, we will be able to do great things for God’s kingdom, and leave behind a legacy of faithfulness.
Evening Reflection
What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? What kind of legacy would you leave if you returned to the Lord right now? What needs to happen to make your desired legacy a reality?