Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Psalm 112:1-3
Lord willing, tomorrow our nation will observe President’ Day. According to the U.S. Government, the third Monday of February is set aside to observe George Washington’s birthday and increasingly became an occasion to celebrate the birthdays of both Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We celebrate these men because of great acts of valor, wisdom, and conviction during times of great American uncertainty. The lives they led left a respectable and honorable legacy. While we may never be nationally known or recognized, our lives and therefore our legacies are just as important and will impact the lives of generations to come. We can leave a legacy of faithfulness which will surpass the impact of even the mightiest earthly nation (Dan 2:44).
Psalm 112 gives us all the insight we need to leave an outstanding legacy. Praise ye the Lord. Man is to honor and hold God in the highest standing. We conduct ourselves in a way that is to bring Him honor (Matt 5:13-16) and we live with the intention of bringing glory to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”. One of the biggest struggles man faces is compartmentalizing God. We want to be godly on some days and in some areas of life but others we want to live as the rest of the world does. This is done to acclimate to some settings or for various reasons. We see setting God aside for the moment as advantageous. However, this attitude that is so prominent is never justified (Matt 6:33) and will not assist in establishing a proper legacy.
Next we read “fear the Lord”. Is it possible to praise God but not respect Him? These seem to be the very issues Christ was dealing with when he quotes the prophet Isaiah. Matthew 15:8 states, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me”. We can answer how one can be guilty of such by looking at the next statement in Psalm 112: “delighteth greatly in His commandments.” Then, we look at what Jesus gave as the reason of those He spoke with concerning their distant hearts. Matthew 15:9 says, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. How sad, man can hold God in a high regard, and a good many do. However, their attitude toward the inspired Word of God fails to truly respect the Lord by delighting themselves in His commands. It seems we can struggle with it, as people tend to be looking at this in a double minded way (James 1:8). Praising God for His power and majesty but refusing to fear Him because we take no delight in His commandments will be the downfall of many men.
The life we live will define our legacy. Tomorrow is President’s Day. We honor good men for good deeds. However, men like Benedict Arnold and John Dillenger established lasting legacies as well. It is up to us on an individual basis to build the legacy we should (Phil 2:12).
By Jason Barger