Focal Passages: Acts 17:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
People want to be loved. Even those without a belief in God often say that the greatest thing is to love and be loved. This final lesson on leaving a legacy is important because it reminds us that God is the ultimate source of love. He loved us first. Everyone needs to know that they can experience God’s love and, in turn, share that love with others. We are called to love God, love others, and live that mission.
Are you sharing this legacy of love with others on a regular basis? Be ready to share the gospel using the scriptures as Paul did in Acts 17:2. The authority of God’s Word is greater than any rhetoric man can devise.
Consider different ways you can effectively communicate God’s love in today’s world.
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians remind us that we are compelled by love to share this legacy – the good news of Christ. Pray that God would burden you to share the love of Christ with lost people. Pray for divine appointments too.
I encourage you to examine your life regularly and ask which of the qualities in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 do you wish to see developed in your life: (1) Your works produced by faith? (2) Your labor prompted by love? Or (3) Your endurance inspired by hope in Jesus?
Billy Graham said: “Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”
Let’s choose to be faithful witnesses sharing this legacy of love with others. This is the calling and privilege of every believer and can be accomplished as we pray regularly for others and depend on the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.