Envisioning A Legacy Series

Envisioning a Legacy

Proverbs 6: 1-11

Steven Cook tells of reading an account of a missionary from India: "The Lord must have desired to teach me something through the "ants" because He allowed me to come in contact with enough of them! The encyclopedia says there are more ants than any other insect. It seems that most of them must be in India! He goes on to say… "everywhere he looked there were ants" - Ants in the plastic bag of bread, though it was securely tied. Ants in a jar of jam, though its lid was screwed on it. Ants in the margarine, swimming in the liquid goo. Ants in a tin box of cookies, though its lid was tightly fastened. Ants…Ants…Ants everywhere all day long!! By evening I was thoroughly annoyed. I had eaten ants in my breakfast, lunch, and supper. Hoping to get a good night’s sleep, I moved my cot into the open, away from the tent and the trees. As I lay down with a sigh of exhaustion, I was soon jolted from my rest by the fiery bites of more ants!!! The Prov. 6:6 states, "Go to the ANT…consider her ways and be wise." A aunt only lives 45-60 days but just go outside after a rain and look and see what they have accomplish in such a short amount of time.

The ant reminds us that life is a gift from God and we are to accomplish things with this gift. In other words, life is God’s gift to us but what we do with this life is our gift to God. That is your legacy. Now to maximize this gift which I been have given, it’s absolutely critical that I shift from looking at myself as a consumer to a creator. A creator is always producing more than they consume so that the investment of their life extends for God’s purposes far beyond this circle of themselves. In comparison, a consumer consumes all that comes into their hands. So a creator is making every decision with a future focus. A consumer on the other hand is always making a decision on the here and now and that often leads to paying for the past.

Our Scripture today is another passage where God deals with the money matters of our life. Specifically, it deals with the dangers of debt. God says what we observe in the ant gives us guidance in our own lives. Now the ant has no boss or wife to tell them what to do but they continue to store and save for the future. I think this passage has God asking us three questions.

First, who are your money mentors? Our Scripture says, Go to the ant and observe. In our lives, we should be a student of successful people. For you to be all God intended and to accomplish all God has in store for your life, you need to periodically re-evaluate who’s surrounding you. Who gives you life, who spurs your dreams, who challenges you and pushes you beyond what you think you can accomplish on your own. You need to evaluate who’s influencing you so you can influence others for the purposes of God. When you move forward in life, it’s so important to have somebody in your life who is greater and more skilled and experienced than you. Now you don’t have to go get a spiritual giant, just someone who is a little further down the road than you and who is seeking after the heart of God in every area of their life. A mentor is someone who can give you guidance and wisdom and who can hold you accountable. You’re only as good as the company you keep. That means it’s critical to have people in your life who are working in you and encouraging you to be all God intended for you. The impact of your influence is only as great as the people who are influencing you.

Your influence is the fuel which one day will ignite your success and your legacy. It’s all about who’s surrounding you. In order to fulfill a legacy, you need the right people in the right place and at the right time of your life. Everybody needs somebody in their lives who helps them pursue the great things of God. When you have a mentor in your life, not only will God allow you to have an imprint with your life but God will allow you to have an impact in the lives of others and to leave a legacy. When you have the right people around you, it allows and empowers you to have an impact far beyond yourself. An imprint can be here today and gone today. It’s short-lived and temporary. But a legacy last far beyond us. Too often we settle for an imprint but God wants us to have a permanent imprint on the lives of others. God doesn’t just want you to have an imprint with your life, he wants you to have an impact that lasts long after you’re gone, all for the glory of God.