Leave A Legacy - Trust Fall SeriesSample

A Tent 

David Livingston, a missionary to Africa, said, "I'll go anywhere as long as it's forward." He is saying that he wants to continue to grow in this spiritual depth and this godly purpose. Why? Because that is where legacy comes from. Maybe you’re thinking, "Well, I'm not spiritually deep. I don't even know what godly purpose is.” If you will just keep on walking, the cumulative effect of walking with God, being in church, reading the Bible, and praying – these will give you spiritual depth and purpose. 

Peter says, “I consider it right to refresh your memory as long as I am in this bodily tent, because I know that I will soon put it aside…” Peter is saying that our life is short, but our legacy is long. Even if you live for 90 years, that's a short life. All of those years, in the light of eternity, are short. Nevertheless, even if our life is brief, our legacy can be long. Paul says, "For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building that is from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made by human hands."

What you have here is temporary. It’s an earthly tent. That’s how Paul and Peter speak about it, because two thousand years ago they lived in a mostly nomadic culture. They had buildings, but had lots of tents. It was a normal part of life for them to put up a tent and then to take it back down, and that’s the image they are using to help us picture the short and temporary nature of our earthly life. Yet Peter describes his legacy as being a remembrance for generations to come.

Your life, no matter your age, is a tent. It's a window that opens for a moment, through which you get to declare the truths of God. It's the door of Jesus that you get to come through. It's the opening in the Heavens that you get to pray to. This is a short-term thing. Peter is saying that although your life is temporary, you can leave a legacy for years to come. What a powerful oxymoron. A tent can leave a legacy. When does this become true? When the things of Truth are remembrances in your life and regurgitated through words and actions. When your goals are not just morality and earthly success anymore but spiritual depth and godly purpose.

Your days as an earthly tent will eventually be over. The time goes quickly. God sets us up for that moment in time. You are born, the tent is up, and it stays up. It's wobbly at times, no question, and yet there it is. You can have an impact on eternity. You have an opportunity to leave a legacy that will impact generations.