“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 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.”—Matthew 6:19-21
What kind of legacy can we leave as Believers in Christ?
For the average person, the people in our lives—our children, extended family, friends, and coworkers—often hold fond and lasting memories. Whereas physical things, like homes or automobiles, may never mean as much to others as they do to those who had originally possessed them—holding memories only for the original owner.
The greatest hope of all should be that we would leave a legacy of our faith in Christ behind for our family and friends. This is something that will never be lost and truly is one of those treasures laid up in Heaven.
The Legacy to Our Family…
Throughout the years of raising children, we are generally too busy to think about leaving a legacy aside from living a life before them of faith and instruction in the Word of God. As we introduce them to the Lord, we pray that as they grow and leave home, that they hold onto the Word taught them as they work out their own faith in Yeshua, their Savior. As our children mature and begin to seek careers, marry, and have families of their own, they may tend to repeat many of the same experiences they had while growing up (hopefully not the mistakes). In doing so, we prayerfully trust that they will walk in the way of faith as they lead their own children to the Lord, seeking the ways of Kingdom living.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”—Proverbs 22:6
What greater legacy can we leave than to give our children a love for God and His Word? The desire to learn His ways and His precepts are just one of the many works that will not be burned up as chaff when we finally stand before Him in Heaven.
The Legacy in the Marketplace…
God’s Word instructs us to move mountains. Our mountains may be in the world of business, education, service industry, medical, etc.
“So, Jesus said to them, ‘… for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’”—Matthew 17:20
In the workplace and business world we have the opportunity to live as Christ before our peers and coworkers. Each time we are asked to pray for a problem or situation, especially for our unsaved brothers and sisters, we never know when we could be adding to a very important legacy. The door may open to witness to that special someone coming to Christ who in turn becomes a great evangelist or effective soul winner. It’s amazing to think that we could be sharing in a greater legacy than we had ever thought of.
We never know how our witness affects people. One may find Jesus here… another may return to their first love there. A partner or coworker may realize that they, too, could step out in faith and begin moving mountains—we could be sharing in those legacies as well.
The Legacy in Giving to the Kingdom…
Not all of us can go out and reach a larger world for Christ. But when we partner with a ministry or organization that is good soil, such as My Olive Tree, we are sharing in a larger legacy. In doing this we effectively build the Kingdom by helping leave a legacy in Israel—the land of God’s chosen people.
The work that My Olive Tree is doing in Israel is leaving a legacy of such great proportions that we cannot even fathom it now. When we contribute to this organization, we share in Kingdom blessings that have been given to the people and the land of Israel by providing an olive tree, a grapevine, or even planting one of the seven species in the King’s Valley.
There is no greater feeling of accomplishment than to join in building the Kingdom of God.
The important thing to remember about Kingdom legacy is not if our name is on letterhead, a building, or a statue, but how we impacted others in building His Kingdom.
We share in other’s Kingdom work as part of our legacy…
When we look to contribute to the Lord’s work, we are making a conscience decision to add our resources and talents to help build the Kingdom of God. The disciples, the apostles, and the countless others also have given their resources, their talents, and many times their very lives for the Kingdom. So what we do for the Kingdom is actually built upon the legacies of those who have gone before us. Therefore, the legacy that truly counts overall is that which builds the Kingdom of God!
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward…”—1 Corinthians 3:11-14
My Olive Tree is an organization dedicated to providing economic growth in the nation of Israel. Through our unique programs to sponsor the planting of olive trees, grapevines, and more, YOU can sow a literal seed into the Holy Land. The proceeds from these plantings will reap a harvest for many years to come by providing necessary humanitarian aid to Israeli children, IDF soldiers, Holocaust Survivors, and many others living within Israel.