By Matt Hampton, MDiv
Posted on December 15, 2016
in
[ Theology & Ministry ]
I recently attended a kid’s basketball game that the final score was zero to zero. It was fun to watch the kids but frustrating to see them almost run around in circles with no plan or direction. I imagined what it would be like if I watched an adult basketball game and both teams had no plan or direction and they ran around in circles the entire time. I would become very confused and frustrated at what I was seeing. I thought about life and if I want to leave a legacy I have to have a clear vision and direction and live it out with great intention on a daily basis.
The Bible teaches how to live with clear vision and direction when we read Luke 10:27 and Luke 9:23. In Luke 10:27, we are told to Love God with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind. In Luke 9:23 we are told to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. I cannot accomplish what God wants me to do unless I am fully surrendered to Him. Christ has to be my first love. As I love Him, I am able to deny myself because I love Him so much.
What does this mean to me on a daily basis and what does this look like in a personal way? I recently heard a pastor describe that we all leave a legacy and we all fall into three chairs as Christians. The first chair is one that we love God with all of our heart and lives and it is reflected in doing what He wants and serving Him in all areas of our lives. The second chair is one that we love Him but we still do things our own way and in our own strength. The third and final chair is one that we do not love God and we do things our own way. If I want to pass on a Godly legacy to my friends and family, I have to be in that first chair. I have to love God with all of my heart and I have to show my friends, my family and my kids how much I love Him by serving Him and being obedient to Him by denying my “self.”
If I fall into the second chair, where I love God but still do things my own way, it has been shown that my kids will more than likely live a life of a person in the third chair as they grow older. In other words, my legacy that I pass on to them will be to do things their own way and possibly take God out of the picture. If I love God with all of my heart and I serve Him by denying my “self,” my kids will see this and I will pass on a legacy that my kids will become a first chair person.
I asked my kids what chair they see our family in and it was a rude awakening for me. They said we are between chair one and chair two. That sent shock waves up my spine. I had to do some serious reflecting and we had some serious discussions about what we can do for all of us to be a first chair person. What chair do you fall into today? The first, the second or the third? What legacy will you pass on so that your friends and family will be in the first chair? Begin today by loving God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. Begin today to deny yourself and allow God to take control of every area of your life.
Grace and Peace,
Matt Hampton
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Matt Hampton is a native of Phoenix and serves as a faculty member in the College of Theology at Grand Canyon University. He studied business at Arizona State University before completing an MDiv from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and then an MEd degree. He has adopted five children and is a foster parent. He is married to his beautiful wife Carol Hampton, and they preside in the Phoenix area.
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