Legacy

August 3, 2023

From Jackie Payne

I am reading through and studying the book of 1 Peter. One thing that caught my eye recently is:

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 1 Peter 1:10-12

As I was journaling my thoughts on this passage, the word legacy came to mind. The prophets weren’t listening to God and recording what would be scripture for themselves, but they were doing it for others that would come later. They were leaving a legacy of scripture for others to look to when Jesus came to the world and for those who came afterwards (that’s us, by the way).

How are you and I doing with leaving a legacy? We live in a culture that is obsessed with productivity. If you aren’t producing, you are lazy. So this idea (as with so many of God’s ideas) turns the idea of productivity on its head. It’s not about producing, it’s about planting, which if you’ve ever gardened is an experience in patience. We may or may not see what happens with the seeds we plant about God. These things may only be revealed when we get to heaven.

What seeds are you planting in the people around you today? What legacy will be revealed when you get to heaven?