Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I was sitting with a group of church leaders and somebody asked the question, "What do you want to be known for? When all is said and done at the end of your life, what do you want to be remembered for?" As people went around the room and shared their answers, it was very telling of their personalities, mine included. The go-getter and the work-driven people were answering things like, "I want to be known for my effectiveness and my efficiency, my leadership." The more emotionally inclined people were saying answers like, "I want to be remembered for being compassionate or caring." Others who had gone through the wringer, so to speak, were saying things like, "You know, I want to be remembered for my endurance. I want to be remembered for my faithfulness."
An Inwardly Focused Question
Over the years, I've thought back to this question, and I've thought about my answer then and how my answer would change now. I think what I've really come to grips with is the way that that question was posed and the way that many of us answered was inwardly focused. It was considering, what do I want to be remembered for? It was sort of a badge of honor to wear, a legacy to leave behind about your greatness and who you were.
But there's a very specific verse that changed my mindset and drastically changed the way that I think about and answer this question. It comes from our Verse of the Day, the book of Philippians chapter 1, verse 3. Paul writes, "Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God."
Paul and the Philippians
A short, sweet, simple verse that speaks profoundly about Paul's relationship with the Philippians. See, the Philippian church came to faith through the ministry of Paul, and it was in his preaching of the Gospel that they learned all about the Lord and all about what it looked like to be a body of believers that lived out their faith.
When Paul was ultimately persecuted and put in a prison, it was the Philippians who had gathered together a collection of donations, and they sent out one of their own people to go and minister to Paul and care for him in a really, really hard time. It was through interactions like this that their relationship with the apostle grew really deep.
Paul clearly loved this church. If you just read through this letter, it just screams of how much he cares about this church. Because even though they didn't need to, they went above and beyond the call of duty to show their love for a man who loved them deeply. It's clear that this left a mark in Paul's memory.
A Testimony of God's Love
How did this verse change my answer to that question, what do I want to be remembered for? Well, when Paul says he remembers the Philippians, he doesn't say, "Every time I think about you, I'm reminded of how wealthy you are. Every time I think about you, I'm reminded of how strong you are. Every time I think about you, I'm reminded that you're the best church out there." He says, "Every time I think about you, because of all the good that you've done and all the love that you've shown, I'm reminded of how good our God is. I am reminded of how thankful I am for Him."
Certainly Paul is grateful to the Philippians, but on a much bigger level, it wasn't about making much of the Philippians. It wasn't about making the other churches feel bad, or putting them up on this pedestal and raising their banner high. It was about being a testimony of God's faithful and enduring love that worked itself out through people who understood what it meant to follow Jesus, and to ask the Spirit to work in their lives to make them look more like Him every day.
That's an incredible legacy to leave behind. To tell a story through your life of a God who just wants to bless His children through a body of believers, to be unified by the Spirit, to love one another selflessly, and to be known for that love. I want to ask you, what do you want to be remembered for? The best legacy to leave behind is one that screams of the goodness, the faithfulness, and the love of our God.
