Legacy & Retirement

Legacy & Retirement – Change the Heart

Obedience

Obedience is another foundational principle to leaving a legacy. In Exodus 20:12 we read, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” In I Timothy 5:4 we read, “ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.”  In Proverbs 13:22 we read, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.” Obedience is also a foundational piece to the discipline necessary to carry out final plans before going before the Lord. We have tools for helping the family navigate through their care in their final years. Some of those steps include putting together an extended care action plan to assist family members know the wishes of aging family members in the area of health, use of financial resources, family relationships, personal relationships, pets, hobbies, recording family history, life events, and the disposal or giving away of papers and personal items.

Prayer

Prayer is also an essential element to our legacy for it affects the blessings we receive from the Lord. In Proverbs 15:7-9 we read, “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.” In Proverbs 15:29 we read, “TheLord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 28:9 states, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.”

Worship

Exodus 20:4- says, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  As we read and understand these scriptures, we see that our legacy is extremely dependent on our worship of the Lord.

Purpose

Purpose in life does not necessarily mean physical or mental work. It could simply mean an encouraging word, offering to pray for someone, or simply offering to help someone in need.

Sometimes people only need someone to listen to them.  Our legacy consists of the physical assets we leave behind, the memories we leave for those who knew us, the character we exhibited to the world, and the relationship we had with our Lord and Savior.

Scripture

All knowledge for leaving a legacy must be taken through the filter of Scripture. It is a foundational piece to the knowledge required to carry out estate planning and to support yourself during your final years on this Earth. Deuteronomy 5:16 says, “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”