A Prayer for Your Legacy - Your Daily Prayer - September 17

A Prayer for Your Legacy
By Whitney Hopler

Bible Reading
“A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.” – Proverbs 10:7, MSG

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Your legacy is how people remember who you were and what your life contributed to our world. What legacy will you leave behind after your life here is over?

In Proverbs 10:7, the Bible clearly contrasts good and bad legacies. It says that a good and honest life creates a “blessed memorial.” If you leave that kind of legacy, your memory will bring encouragement, hope, and inspiration to others long after you’ve passed away. But if you leave the legacy of a life of sin without a relationship with God, your legacy will leave “a rotten stench” when people remember you. No one wants to leave a legacy that stinks! Too often, though, people end up doing that because they don’t prioritize living a holy life.

God wants your life to be a blessing for all the people who knew you and for all the generations that will follow you. Leaving a legacy of a good and honest life doesn’t happen by accident. You need to develop a legacy like that by making faithful choices day by day.

You can choose to be honest when it would be easier to hide the truth. You can put kindness into action every day through your words and deeds. You can choose forgiveness instead of holding grudges. You can choose to be a lifelong learner who’s humble and always willing to let the Holy Spirit teach you more.

When you choose to live a good and honest life, you’re building a legacy that’s a blessed memorial of you and your life. That’s far more important than how much money or how many possessions or achievements you leave behind. The people who knew you can spend your money, lose your possessions, and forget your worldly achievements. But they’ll always remember you as a blessing if you leave behind a legacy of trusting Jesus to help you live with goodness and honesty. That will inspire them to trust Jesus to help them live holy lives, as well. Nothing else you can leave behind is more important than that.

The way you treat people today becomes the memory they carry tomorrow. When you’re walking closely with Jesus, your life reflects God’s goodness. People notice all the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. That kind of legacy is like a sweet fragrance that people enjoy when they remember who you were and how you lived.

In this fallen world, it’s easy to get caught up in your daily responsibilities that you forget the bigger picture. You can let your daily life shrink down to the level of your to-do list. Don’t let that happen! Every day, remind yourself that the choices you make will build your legacy – and prioritize making the best ones by walking with Jesus as he guides you.

You might think that your efforts to live a good and honest life don’t matter very much. But God hears everything you say and sees everything you do. Nothing you say or do for God is ever wasted.

If you look back on your past and feel like the legacy you’ve built so far isn’t the kind of legacy you want to leave behind, you can start changing it now. God will help you heal, grow, and move forward well. God’s grace will cover your past, and God’s mercy will give you a fresh start if you ask God to help you build a better legacy from now on.

Let your life be a blessed memorial that encourages everyone who comes after you!

Let’s Pray

Dear God, thank you for the gift of life and for the opportunity to make a positive impact on the world around me. I want my life to honor you in every way. Forgive me for the times I’ve been selfish, impatient, or dishonest. Please give me the wisdom and strength to live a good and honest life each and every day. Help me make choices that build a holy legacy – one that shows others the reality of your love flowing through my life. Show me how to treat people in ways that leave a sweet and lasting blessing long after I’ve passed away. When I’m tempted to say or do anything that you know would be a mistake, speak to me through your Holy Spirit and lead me to make a better choice. Teach me and empower me to make good decisions without compromising my integrity. Please give me the courage to stand strong in your goodness and truth. May the way I live my life honor you and inspire everyone who knows me to grow closer to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com and on her Facebook author page.

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