Your Legacy

Psalm 27

The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. (Psalm 27:4)

DAVID’S DEEPEST LONGING, according to Psalm 27:4, was to spend time in the Temple of God, meditating on the Lord’s perfections. It’s a beautiful thought, and we can imagine him taking every opportunity to visit the Temple grounds to worship. The only problem was that when David wrote this, the Temple didn’t exist yet, and it wouldn’t in his generation. God had said yes to his request for a temple, but no to the possibility of David building it himself. It was a dream deferred, and it must have made David’s heart sick.

Even so, David did everything he could to set up the next generation for this building project short of stacking the stones himself. He drew up blueprints, donated massive amounts of gold and building materials, wrote a psalm for the dedication of the Temple (Psalm 30), and encouraged others to give, plan, and prepare (1 Chronicles 28–29). He understood that his contributions in this world were part of a bigger picture, and he equipped the next generation to further it.

Your contributions in this world are part of a bigger picture too. God’s plans began back in Genesis, and really even before the foundation of the world. You can be salt and light right now, but you are also sowing seed that will not be harvested in this generation. While governments often saddle the next generation with enormous debts and problems, Kingdom citizens are to bequeath our contributions to the Kingdom-building project to those who will come next. We are always to be mindful of the eternal scheme.

One of the greatest investments you can make in God’s Kingdom is to prepare the next generation to carry it forward—to cultivate their role as salt and light just as you have cultivated your own. Take that opportunity seriously, pray for ways to expand your influence beyond your lifetime, and know that your fruitfulness in this world will continue long after you are gone.

{Lord, show me ways to expand my reach chronologically and not just in current circumstances and relationships. Give me lasting influence. Sow my life as a seed that will bear fruit for generations to come. Amen.