Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 213 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2
Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 213 of our Trek, and yesterday and for the next few days, we will explore the trails that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today, which will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As we look towards 2016, there are many dreams and goals which we need to sort out. We have to be prudent to set realistic steps based on the time and resources that are available. This is one reason our year-end planning sessions are so important. It allows us to set our budget based on the time, talent, and treasures that we have available. Of these three key elements, only time has a finite amount. That is why it is so imperative that we utilize our time wisely and maximize its value. Only then will we be able to improve our talents and increase our treasures. I sure wish it was easy to do that, but we all fall victim to wasting time, which in turn limits our talents and treasures. This is something that we all need to consider.
The three elements that I just spoke of are very important on our Trek this week, so let’s head back out on our trail today as we consider and explore for more nuggets of wisdom that will enable us to effectively live our legacy each day. These are important concepts to grasp. Our positive impact on others should begin as early as possible on our life’s trek and grow each day. This will enable them to last throughout eternity in the lives of others. So let’s explore.
How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2
We finished yesterday considering the three short but impactful proclamations that the Apostle Paul pondered near the end of his life. He made three very simple statements about his legacy. He says by God’s grace:
- “I have fought the Good Fight.”
- “I have finished the race.”
- “I have remained faithful.”
These are three simple but great statements concerning “a living legacy.” Let’s explore the impact of each of these statements. Today we will explore the first one and finish up with the other two tomorrow.
1. “I have fought the good fight.”
As my friend on this trek of life, you need to understand that if you want to live and leave a legacy that is greater than yourself, you must recognize each day that you are in a battle to either bring good into the world or to allow evil to flourish. Daily we must choose to do what is right, just, and fair. We learn in Proverbs 2:9 that one of the many benefits of wisdom is, “Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.”
To live and leave a legacy, we must prepare in advance. We need to choose to stand firm, clothed in your armor, as a spiritual warrior. All of these are a choice that we make in advance on how we will live.
Here is what I think we sometimes miss. When you and I are casual about spiritual things, careless with the disciplines of the faith (like prayer, meditating, the study of the Bible and other good materials, and the fellowship with other like-minded individuals) we become callous about things that are right, just, and fair. When we fail to prepare ourselves for life’s daily battles, we live a legacy that is not strong enough for our family in their time of need and hardship. We have to understand that when Satan, the evil one, targets us and tries to weaken our faith, compromise our stand, or induce us to sin, he is not simply targeting us but our children, our grandchildren, our family, and our friends as well.
That is why the legacy you live and ultimately leave for others is created by the choices you make on a daily basis. You must be prepared for the battles in life that seem to hit nearly every day. The battles are rarely physical battles but rather spiritual, mental, and emotional.
Ephesians 6:12 – For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
The better you are prepared for the battles of life, the more successful you will become in all areas of life. To live right, just, and fair in all of life is a life lived with integrity. This allows you to live your legacy with impact each day. The Apostle Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Church in Corinth 6:7, “We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.”
Paul knew firsthand what it meant to battle each day, but at the end of his life he was able to state, I have fought the good fight. If you are not making choices in keeping with what is right, just, and fair, you are compromising your strength in the battle.
You have to understand that as being part of God’s kingdom here on earth you may have to fight for your inheritance or fight to live your legacy. That is because it is promised but not possessed. Each day we can possess that legacy a little more if we remain faithful to our calling. Think about it this way. Israel had already been given the Promised Land. It was theirs – an inheritance, a legacy – but they had to fight for it. God did not drive out the inhabitants of the land divinely. The Israelites had to do their part. In our battle for a living legacy, we must also do our part.
The devil does not want you to live the positive, impactful legacy that is yours to possess. As a matter of fact, he is out to steal, to kill, and to destroy it. Remember the verse that I have used so often John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
How can you tell when you are starting to live a rich and satisfying life? How can you tell if you are fighting the good fight and becoming victorious?
The answer is when you are growing in grace and love. As you allow God’s Spirit to have a greater impact on your life, you will start to manifest the fruit of His Spirit in your life. This list of attributes is found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
It is good for us to do a self-analysis on a regular basis concerning these 9 attributes. Are they increasing in your life? If so, you are fighting the good fight. You are winning in the daily battle of life.
On our Trek, we explored what Paul meant when he said that he had fought the Good Fight. Tomorrow we will continue on and explore what Paul meant to finish the race and remain faithful. These are very important lessons in wisdom that you won’t want to miss, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.
As we take this Trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!