Legacy

Everyone has an opinion about Margaret Thatcher, and many are being aired and argued over. In life and in death, she divided people. 
Her many triumphs and achievements came at a cost. 
Her legacy continues to shape this country, and many will be the books written about her.

St. Paul had an eye to the legacy that he might leave behind. In saying his farewell to the leaders of the Christian community from Ephesus, he highlights his own life's ambition. 'But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. 

“And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.' (Acts 20.24-27)

All of us, in the purposes of God, have 'work assigned to us by the Lord Jesus', as Paul would say. We need to discover what that is, and give ourselves wholeheartedly to that. My hunch is that it will be not very different from Paul's, in that all Christians are called to share the Good News of Jesus to those around us. That legacy has eternal consequences - unlike most of the rest of what fills our lives.

So the death of Margaret Thatcher has made me ask some searching questions. So what legacy do I want to leave behind? How will people remember my contribution to their lives?

Best wishes,

Richard