The Message You Leave

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).  
 
What will you live for? When all is said and done and the curtain closes, what will you have lived for?  

We discussed having maturity in Christ and why it’s necessary for our spiritual growth, but as we come to an end of this month, there’s one last thing to evaluate, and that is: What is our message?  

You leave a message everywhere you go, every time you leave a room, and you especially leave a message when you die. Nobody wants to talk about that dreaded word: death. Even if you’re a Christian, the idea of death is melancholy because of the people you’ll be leaving behind even while you go on to glory. But what is your message? What would you leave behind for the people you’ve raised?

The last directions in Romans 12 are, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” We all want to think that we have ample time to do good, but we never know when we might leave this world. Everyone has an appointed time. What are you doing with the time you have?

Seek Him first in everything and keep His words close to your heart—they’re His message for us. Saturate yourself in Scripture. Study His message throughout the day. When your kids wake up in the morning and come out of their rooms, let them be greeted by the atmosphere of joy and a peaceful presence because mom and dad have been seeking the Lord. When you’re talking with a friend, let them find a safe haven in you because God has been creating a house out of your heart for the weary to find rest. Should you be broken by people, let your enemies see that your hand is not raised in retaliation but is instead outstretched, willing and ready to help.

We’re not living for ourselves. We’re living to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Well done.  

Read His message that He left behind for you. Get into the Word, which is like dynamite for your soul, and let that fire rage around you so that everyone who’s with you knows who you’re living for. If you fall, get back up and try again tomorrow, but don’t give up—you’re resilient. Be unyielding in your faith, your love, and your life spent living for Him, so that when you get to the end of your days, you’ll be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).  

When you look back on your life, whether you make it to 90 years old or just 90 more seconds, what will they say you lived for?