A Mandate for Greater

Today’s Focus: Your legacy should inspire and prepare future generations to exceed your accomplishments and build on what you started.

As we close this study of The Creator’s Legacy, let’s remind ourselves of what a Godly legacy looks like.

A Godly legacy:

• Establishes a blueprint for success
• Promotes peace and unity among those who follow it
• Protects and prioritizes relationships

Lastly, a Godly legacy challenges and equips the next generation to achieve even more than the originator of the legacy.

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to work in two multi-generational ministries. I’ve never taken it for granted that every time God has planted me in a church, I’ve watched the senior pastor prepare his son for future success.

The focus on ensuring the next generation is ready to take the reins of the ministry is, sadly, not very common. We often hear of church splits and ego-driven division when a transition is about to take place.

Thankfully, I’ve never witnessed these. In my earlier ministry, I watched as each generation equipped the next generation to build even more successful, Christ-centered platforms that have impacted my city for the better.

In the ministry where I currently serve, I’m again witnessing a Godly legacy take shape as 3rd and 4th generation pastors prepare to take the church into a new season of growth and opportunity.

The unifying factor in each of these scenarios is the expectation that the next generation could, and should, do more than the previous generation.

Does this mean a legacy isn’t legitimate if the next generation doesn’t achieve more? Not necessarily.

But if we want our legacies to last, we must make every effort to give those who will follow us the mandate and materials needed to increase their impact.

Jesus was keenly aware of this, which is why He said in John 14:12 (NIV), “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Jesus knew that once He was no longer on earth, that His disciples would be tempted to believe that they could never measure up to His impact or accomplishments in ministry.

Instead, He consistently told them that their work would reach more people and have more impact than He ever did while on the earth. He prayed for them, ministered to them, and encouraged them to be faithful after He was taken up into heaven.

Sure enough, once they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, these men and women transformed the world with their ministries and set the foundation for the global church we are now a part of. While the work of salvation was truly Jesus’ greatest work, it took the faith and dedication of His disciples to achieve the great work of sharing the Gospel worldwide.

In the same way, we have the responsibility to prepare the next generation to do greater works than we did. We must provide our children, our successors, and our followers with the mandate and materials they can use to do more than we could have ever imagined.

Conclusion

Remember what we shared in Day 1 - a legacy is more than just leaving a financial or monetary inheritance.

Your work here on earth sets up the vision and the foundation for your legacy to impact future generations.

The way we follow Christ , and how we remain faithful to His call, will be the standard that influences those who follow us.

As you reflect on the legacy you want to leave behind, always remember Revelation 14:13 (NIV).

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

Let the deeds that follow you be those that inspire and motivate the next generation to follow Christ fully, to bless the world more abundantly, and to have a greater impact on the Kingdom than you ever thought possible.

Application for Today

Take a moment to envision a future where your family, children and/or followers are achieving great things that are currently impossible for you to do alone. Write down these thoughts and share them with your family or close friends so they are aware of the mandate and vision that you see them walking into in the future.