By 
I recently bought a new Bible. It was not an easy decision. I had been using my old one for over 25 years and it was comfortable and familiar. But it was also held together with duct tape, the print was increasingly difficult to read with my tiring eyes, and it was missing most of the book of Jonah. So I bought a new Bible and had it covered in beautiful leather, and I love it. Considering my age, if it holds up as long as the previous one it could very well be the last Bible I ever buy. As I read it I intend to fill the pages with underlining, word definitions, and notes. My hope is that after I am gone, it will be a witness to my love for God’s Word. And maybe it will inspire someone else to love it too. I refer to it as my Legacy Bible.
This idea of legacy, of leaving something of ourselves for the betterment of others, is not a new idea. In fact the Bible offers cautions, advice, promises, and instruction concerning what we leave for those who come behind us.
Psalm 145:4, NASB
One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
Psalm 103:17-18, NASB
But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.
Matthew 6:20-21, ESV
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
King Uzziah’s Legacy
In 2 Chronicles 26 we find the story of King Uzziah. According to verses 4-5, King Uzziah did right in the sight of the Lord and continued to seek God. As long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. In verse15: his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong” (ESV).
King Uzziah was blessed, right up until he wasn’t: But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God (26:16, ESV). So God removed his blessing. By verse 21 King Uzziah is nothing more than a dead leper.
My Legacy
We will all leave a legacy. The decisions and choices we have made, and the resulting consequences, have etched a path through our lives. As we look back from where we’ve come and see bends and turns that did not always point to Jesus, we can resolve to straighten our direction. We can deliberately, prayerfully, consider the impact of our actions and our words on our present and future family, knowing that the effects and benefits will get passed down from one generation to the next.
I want to do better than King Uzziah.
It is my desire to leave a clear path for those who follow, outlined with wisdom and truth and marked with service and humility. I want to lay down footprints that lead back to Jesus, knee prints of utter dependence on Him, and a testimony of God's blessing on my life—His faithfulness, His greatness, and His grace.
So my prayers must plead for more faith, wisdom, and Christ-likeness. And my heart must beat in cadence with my Lord and Savior. I want to leave behind the essence of His love and His mercy and a hint of: "Well done, My good and faithful servant." As I find myself in my autumnal years, I thank my Abba Father for what He has done and for a glimpse of what He will do, long after I am gone.
God’s Legacy
Of course, nothing can top God's legacy of mercy and grace. Matthew chapter 1 shows that twenty generations after Uzziah, Jesus, the Messiah, was born.
What will your legacy be? What stones will your children ask the meaning of?
Joshua 4:21-22, NLT
Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’”
Nanette Smith
A transplanted Texan, Nanette Smith spent most of her life in western Pennsylvania where she and her husband Tom raised their 6 children. When not homeschooling her children or helping her husband run his construction business, Nanette volunteered with Samaritan’s purse, crisis pregnancy centers, and served as Women’s Ministry Director. In 2013 God moved Nanette and her family to Texas and she attended her first Womenary class in 2016. Currently Nanette works as the Missions Coordinator at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, TX. When not working or playing with one of her 11 grandchildren, Nanette enjoys reading, writing, photography and baking. 
