On Friday, June 21st, my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Morelia, Mexico. It was a beautiful celebration and evening together. At the end of the program, I was asked to pray over my parents. The words that came to mind were from Psalm 112:1-2, which says,

Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;     
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

The generations of the man or the woman who “fears the Lord “will be blessed. Strong and enduring in the land. Making an enduring difference for generations to come after them. This is a legacy reserved, yet promised to all who walk in the fear of the Lord. To all who greatly delight in His commandments. To all who live out their days in reverence, honor and awe of God. There is no greater legacy to leave on the earth than a generation who fears the Lord!

As I looked out over the party, I knew the “blessed generations” of my parent’s legacy included not only their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It also included the many generations of pastors and friends present in whom my parents have invested the last 45 years of their lives.

A few days later I asked, “Lord, how does this work?” A math problem came to mind: 1 + 2 = 3

“You can think of it as adding 2 to 1 or as adding 1 to 2.”

If you want to leave a legacy both of generations and to generations, the “formula” is not to add God to our work (2 to 1) but to add our lives to God’s work (1 to 2).

Walking in the fear of the Lord is adding your life, committing your life, to God and to His will, His Word, His purposes, His plans. Nothing good does He withhold from those who put their whole heart into Him. Who roll all their works and plans onto Him in trust.

This does not happen all at once. It happens one day at a time. One prayer at a time. One decision at a time. One moment of worship at a time. One confession of sin at a time. One act of repentance at a time. One step of obedience at a time. One “yes” at a time. One…

All these “ones” add up in that all these times are being added to God. It’s in Him that we receive abundant life and joy everlasting. It’s in Him that we are transformed and renewed from glory to glory. It’s in Him that our lives are sown and bear fruit that remains. It’s in Him that we receive wisdom for all our days. Faith for all our circumstances. Love for all our relationships. Power for all the impossibilities that are only possible in God.

Dear Elim, a big people in Christ add their lives to God’s work, and they leave a legacy for generations to come. Let’s commit to leaving a Psalm 112 legacy.