“Leaving a Legacy”

Psalm 112:1-6 – “A righteous man will be remembered forever.”

A man received a phone call from his buddy, who asked him what he was doing.

He said, “I was killing flies when you called.”

His buddy asked, “How many flies did you kill?”

He said, “Five. Three male and two female.”

His buddy asked, “How did you know the gender of each fly?”

The man said, “Because three were on the remote and two were on the phone.”

I want to ask you the question: “What do you want to be remembered by?

The fact is that everybody wants to be remembered for something. It’s a universal desire. We all want to leave a legacy. We all want to leave our mark. We all want to feel like we made some sort of significant contribution to this world.

1) Legacies happen by faith, not by chance.

Hebrews 11:1, 6, 7, 11, 20, 21, 23 – Examples of family and faith. 

A story was told of Henry Ford. One day, he and his wife were driving in the country and they came across a man whose Model T had broken down. He was under the hood trying to figure out what was wrong, when Mr. Ford asked if he could take a look. And in just a few minutes, Mr. Ford has the Model T running. The owner was amazed and said, “I’m impressed with your knowledge of Model T’s, and I’m amazed that you fixed it so easily.” Mr. Ford replied, “I ought to be able to fix it because I’m the one who designed it.”  And that’s how it is with God and the family. God has designed it, so He is the one who can fix it.  The problem is that most people do not turn to God for help.

Children have a way of expressing themselves in honest ways.

- Allan (age 8) was asked, “How does a person decide who to marry?”

“You should find somebody who like the same stuff. Like if you like sports she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.”

- Kirsten (age 10) says, “No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you got to find out later who you’re stuck with.”

- Lori (age 8) was asked, “What do you think your mom and dad have in common?”

She said, “They both don’t want no more kids.”

- Lynette (age 8) was asked “What do most people do on a date?”

She said, “Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.”

- Derrick (age 8) was asked, “How can a stranger tell if two people are married?”

He said, “You might guess based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.”

- Anita (age 9) was asked, “Is it better to be single or married?”
She said, “It’s better for girls to be single and boys to be married, because boys need somebody to clean up after them.”

Kirsten (age 10) says, “Single is better – for the simple reason that I wouldn’t want to change no diapers. Of course, if I did get married, I’d figure something out. I’d just phone my mother and have her come over to some coffee and diaper-changing.”

Singles. Don’t think that getting married will make you happy.

Joy comes from the Lord.

Too many singles think that in order to be happy, they’ve got to get married.

That’s not true.

If you are single and unhappy and then get married, you’ll end up being an unhappy married person.

If you are single and happy, and then get married, you’ll end up being a happy married person.

I’m single and I’m happy.

The way I look at it, I can eat all the junk food I want, and I don’t have a wife to put me on a diet.

And Single Parents, don’t let the world convince you that you are dysfunctional. Listen to this quote from Debbie Turner, the 1990 Miss America: “Dysfunctional? My mother worked in the church, took hot meals to the elderly, led a Bible Study, went back to school and her Masters Degree, counseled people and showered my sister and I with lots of love – all as a single parent. Debbie goes on to say, “A single parent family isn’t the optimal situation, but it doesn’t have to be dysfunctional.”

2) Legacies are based on how you live, not how long you live.

Psalm 71:15-18 – “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation.”

None of us are getting any younger.  A number of months ago, I was searching for a birthday card, when I came across one that said on the front, “I know it’s not polite to ask a woman her age on her birthday, so I will not ask that question. But I will ask you   .  .  .”  and the middle of the card says, “how much do you weigh?”

Top Five ways you know you are getting old.

You know you’re getting older when  .  .  .

5) When the gleam in your eyes is from the sun hitting your bifocals.

4) When you get winded playing checkers

3) When you sit in a rocking chair and you can’t get it going.

2) When your knees buckle and your belt won’t.

1) When you are stooping down to tie your shoes, and then forget why you are down there.

The way we live will make an impact on our family. Many people have their opinions about drinking alcohol. But the fact remains that drinking parents produce drinking children. If you choose to be unfaithful to your spouse, then don’t expect your children to be faithful to their spouse. If you don’t spend time in the Word of God, then don’t expect your children to spend time in the Word of God.

3) Legacies focus more on significance, and less on success.

Luke 9:24, 25

Success is no guarantee that people will remember you. Athletes are successful at breaking records and then a few years later, those records are broken. Salesmen break sales records, and then someone else breaks them a few months later.

Success does not insure that you’ll leave a legacy. But significance does. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of your life.

Most of us have it all turned around. Most people think that fulfillment in life comes by receiving. But the truth is that true fulfillment comes by giving! Scripture says that in order to find your life, you have to give it away.

Matthew 25:23 The Master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master’s happiness.”

1) The Master focuses more on what you do than what you say.

2) The Master focuses more on faithful stewardship than on selfish motives.

Concerning the game of life, many people say, “Life is all about getting the fanciest toys. And he who dies with the most toys wins.”  No, the truth is: He who dies with the most toys dies.

3) The Master focuses more on the eternal than on the temporal.

At the end of World War II, General Eisenhower came back from Europe and landed in New York. At the airport, they had rolled out the red carpet. They had a ticker tape parade. Bands and thousands of cheering fans. When Ike came down from the plan, everybody was screaming, “Welcome home, Ike!” There was a tremendous reception.

  On that same plane, there was a man who spent his entire life as a missionary to Africa. He was coming home a broken man. His health was now failing him. One of his children had passed away. He had spent his whole life trying to serve God by serving others. As he came down the steps, there was nobody there to greet him. He saw all these signs that said, “Welcome home, Ike!” and he began to have a little pity party. He told his wife, “Maybe I made a mistake. I’ve invested my life trying to serve God by serving others, giving my life away and there’s nobody to welcome me home. No party. No banners. No bands.” And then his wife nudged him and said, “Remember this honey, you’re not home yet!”

Failure is never final. As we close our series of Home Improvement, I implore you: What is past is past. Don’t let your past hold you back from leaving a legacy. If you experienced a set back, OK, That’s alright. Forget it and move on. You’ve got another half of life to live.

The Gift of Singleness

Statistics show that 38% of the adult population is single.

There are singles who have never been married. There are divorced singles. Widowed.

“I like being single. I’m always there when I need me. – Art Leo

I’d like to give you three lessons I have learned as a Single Adult:

Lesson # 1 – I am not a second-class citizen.

Sometimes, the world treats single adults as second-class citizens

We live in a double-minded society.

I’ve been a single dad for 9 years now. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me, “Oh, I’m so sorry for you that you are still not married.”

Or, as a pastor, I constantly get phone calls and invitations for Mr & Mrs Randy Garcia. They expect a pastor to be married.

And think that there I something wrong because I am not married.

I wonder if the Apostle Paul went through this. He was a single man in ministry.

I wonder if Jesus went through this.

Lesson # 2 – I thank God for unanswered prayers.

Someone told me a while back, “Do you know the difference in the way singles ladies and married ladies pray?  Single ladies pray, ‘O Lord, is there a man for my future?’ Married ladies pray, ‘O Lord, is there a future for my man?’”

Some people have this crazy idea that marriage will make them happy. If you are an unhappy single person and you get married, then you will be an unhappy married person. Marriage does not change your contentment – only God does.

Lesson # 3 – I can devote more time to my relationship with the Lord.

An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs. – 1 Cor. 7:32

Are you willing to be devoted to the will of God for your life?

Are you willing to cultivate God-honoring relationships with the individuals God sends your way?

Are you willing to remain pure as a single adult preparing yourself for your future – whether it means marriage or not?

I praise God for the gift of singleness that He has allowed me to open.

With this gift, I have learned lots of lessons.

If God ever has me exchange that gift for the gift of marriage, then so be it. But in the mean time, I value my gift of singleness.

And I will not throw this gift away.