What Will Remain When We Are Gone?

“Posterity will serve Him; it will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.” —Psalm 22:30

Every pastor eventually conducts a funeral that causes him to reflect upon his own life. As family and friends share their memories, we are reminded that a person’s true legacy is rarely found in possessions, positions, or accomplishments. It is revealed in the lives that person influenced.

One day, others will speak our names in the past tense. Our possessions will pass into other hands, and the responsibilities we carried will be given to someone else. The question is not whether we will leave something behind, we all will. The important question is: What kind of legacy will we leave?

A Godly Legacy Is Built Through Faithfulness

We sometimes imagine that legacies are created through extraordinary achievements. In reality, they are usually formed through ordinary acts of faithfulness.

A godly legacy is built when children see their parents praying, when believers choose integrity despite the cost, and when Christians remain faithful through hardship. It grows whenever we forgive an offense, keep a promise, serve without recognition, or demonstrate the grace of Christ.

Paul reminded Timothy of the sincere faith that had first lived in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). These women may never have possessed widespread influence, but their faith helped shape a man whom God used to strengthen the early church.

We do not have to become famous to become influential. We simply need to remain faithful where God has placed us.

A Godly Legacy Is Grounded in God’s Word

Moses commanded Israel to keep God’s words upon their hearts and teach them diligently to their children. They were to speak of them at home, along the road, at bedtime, and in the morning (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). God’s truth was to become part of the ordinary rhythm of family life.

Every generation faces pressure to compromise biblical truth. Cultural opinions change and human philosophies fade, but the Word of God remains forever. If we want to leave a godly legacy, we must give the next generation something stronger than our preferences and more dependable than our opinions. We must give them Scripture. More importantly, we must give them the gospel. Our children and grandchildren need more than instructions for good behavior. They need to know that they are sinners who need a Savior. They must hear that Jesus lived the righteous life we could never live, died in the place of sinners, and rose victoriously from the grave.

A Godly Legacy Is Invested in People

The world encourages us to accumulate wealth and pursue impressive accomplishments. Although these things are not necessarily wrong, they cannot last forever. People are the only earthly investment we can make that reaches into eternity.

A parent may influence generations yet unborn. A Sunday school teacher may speak a truth that God later uses to call someone into ministry. A pastor may preach a sermon whose influence continues long after his voice has been silenced. A faithful church member may encourage a struggling believer who later becomes a source of strength to many others. We may never see the complete results of our influence. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). Our responsibility is to plant faithfully and trust God with the harvest.

A Godly Legacy Points People to Christ

The greatest legacy we can leave is not one that causes people to admire us. It is one that causes them to trust Jesus.

John the Baptist expressed the proper desire of every believer when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). John understood that his purpose was not to make much of himself but to prepare people to see Christ. That should also be our desire. We want our families to remember our love, but even more, we want them to know Christ’s love. We want people to appreciate our example, but even more, we want them to follow our Savior.

Perhaps you look back and see failures or wasted opportunities. Do not allow yesterday’s regrets to prevent today’s faithfulness. By God’s grace, you can begin building a godly legacy now. Pray with your family. Open the Scriptures with your children. Repair a broken relationship. Encourage a younger believer. Share the gospel with someone who does not know Christ. Serve faithfully when no one is watching. Do not spend your life merely trying to ensure that people remember your name. Spend it helping people remember His. May those who follow behind us find footprints that lead them directly to the feet of Jesus.