These two books have sat on the shelves of my library for over 30 years. One book is filled with John Wesley’s sermon notes published in 1847, and the other contains Charles Spurgeon’s sermons published in 1855. I pulled them off our bookshelf and held them in my hands contemplating the value of the legacy each of us will leave behind. Like you, I want to leave behind the evidence of the same passion and purpose for God’s Kingdom that motivated these two great men and others like them. 

Each of us will leave behind a record of our life. Our choices are what will determine the quality of our life message. In certain seasons of life, each of us will be surrounded by very challenging circumstances. The challenges do not determine our legacy. Our response to the challenges is what will create the script of our lives. 

Someday long after each of us are gone someone will hold a book or share a story that will describe our time on Earth. When we live for the glory of God, we will leave behind the evidence of a life that was empowered by a passion to pursue a higher good and a greater purpose. That is the kind of life that will be remembered and emulated in the distant future whenever someone hears a story or holds in their hands a record of a life well-lived.