"One Life to Live"
Nevertheless, he continued in the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had committed and led the people of Israel to commit. (2 Kings 3:3 NLT)
Jeroboam is famous in Israel. Over & over again his name comes up. He created golden calfs for the people to worship & said what Aaron said to the people of Israel, "This is your God who brought you out of Egypt." And so, king after king in Israel's history is said to have followed the pattern of Jeroboam. Over & over again they do what he did & worship foreign gods. The further from David the line of kings gets, the more idolatrous they become! And so, Jeroboam is known for what he did & all the evil he caused Israel to pursue.
What will we be known for? What will people emulate in us? What will our lives inspire people to do? Honor & follow the Lord or walk in evil ways? Will we inspire obedience & godliness or wickedness & godlessness?
We only have one life to live & we are leaving a legacy, the question is what kind of legacy we are leaving. Will future generations know us? Will they be compelled to follow Jesus because of us?
How can we assure that we are leaving a godly legacy? First, we must give ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord. We must be sold out for him & his kingdom. We must be dedicated to him & his mission at the expense of everything else. Second, we must encourage everyone else to do so. We must have a contagious life that leads others to want what we have. We must serve Christ with such passion that people say, "I want that!" Third, we must avoid common pitfalls. We have to avoid sin & behaviors that would bring dishonor to our name & therefore the name of Christ. Just like Jeroboam's name is synonymous with idol worship, what will our name be synonymous with? If it's not Christ, his gospel, his glory, & his mission then how can we adjust our lives to leave a better legacy!?
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