In winning the 2015 British Open at St Andrews, Scotland, PGA golf player Zach Johnson said this, “I feel like God gave me the ability to play a game. I try to take it seriously. I realize it’s just a game . . . this [win] isn’t going to define me or my career, at least I hope it doesn’t. It’s not my legacy. Granted, as a professional athlete and as a golfer I’m going to relish this. I’m going to savor this. I’m humbled by this. But my legacy should be my kids and family.”
That for me is a hole in one comment! Zach Johnson reminds us that when it comes to life there is no real success without succession. What matters most in life is that we pass on to the next generation what matters most. A legacy of faith in Christ, obedience to Scripture, love for the local church, concern for the lost and the least is what we urgently need to hand down to our children and our children’s children. The Bible says in Proverbs, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him” (Prov. 20:7). While the Bible encourages us to leave a financial legacy to our children, more importantly, it encourages us to leave a spiritual legacy of faith in Christ and the riches of His grace (Prov. 13:22; 19:14; 2 Tim 1:3-5). Therefore, there is no spiritual success without spiritual succession.
The reality of this is aptly illustrated in the life of the Old Testament character Enoch. In Genesis, Moses tells us that the birth of Enoch’s faith in God was triggered by the birth of his son Methuselah (Gen. 5:21-22). Notice that Enoch’s walk with God starts with the arrival of his son. It has been well said that God uses both the grave and the cradle to awaken people spiritually. Enoch would not be the last father to sense the nearness and reality of God upon entering fatherhood. Every walk begins with a step and when Enoch stepped into the role of a parent it was transformative, in that he gave his life to the God who gives life. I think I am right in saying that the ripple effect of this man’s faith walk lasted more than 300 years. Consequently, we read that his great grandson Noah, also walked with God (Gen. 5:22, 24; 6:9), and became a preacher like his great grandfather (2 Peter 2:5; Jude 14-15). Enoch did not carve his name on marble, but on the hearts of his children and his children’s children. Enoch’s walk with God was a wonderful example to his family. The fact that we find Enoch mentioned in a genealogy in Genesis five not only points to the fact that Genesis is real history, but that we are all links in a family chain and need to live with the idea of leaving a legacy of faith behind us.
What does legacy look like? In making an acrostic out of the word legacy I would say this! Legacy involves (1) love for God and others; (2) example of godliness; (3) guidance through Scripture; (4) availability and presence; (5) consistency of character; and (6) yearning for heaven. Our children and family need to see that we are godly in behavior, biblical in thought, real, committed to them, and eternal in our perspective. Money alone is a poor legacy, the real legacy is the treasured memory of faith in God!