The book of Genesis tells the story of one family and their journey from the land of Canaan to the land of promise and ending with them in Egypt. Of the three men—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—we learn more about Jacob than anyone else as we follow him from his birth to his death. Jacob left not only a legacy of land, which he distributed to his sons, but also left a legacy of words that blessed and directed his sons and grandsons. First he blessed Joseph's sons:
Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them (Genesis 48:10).
Then he blessed Joseph:
Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow" (Genesis 48:21-23).
It's wonderful to leave a financial legacy for those coming after you, but it's even better to provide a spiritual one. Jacob or as God renamed him, Israel, did both. He left land (a bit more to his favorite son Joseph—he played favorites to the end) and then made a faith prediction that Joseph would return to the land of his fathers. We learn in the book of Joshua that return occurred 200 years later when Joseph's descendants buried his bones in this extra ridge of land that Jacob mentioned.
The title of this series is "Never Too Old for Purpose' and God used Jacob up to the very end. Do you want God to do the same with you? What kind of legacy are you leaving for those who remain after you're gone? Do you have a clear testimony written or recorded as part of your last will and testament?
Are you looking for opportunities to bless others in your latter days, especially encouraging them by sharing what you see to be their strengths and perhaps even their destiny in God's plan? What more can you do to focus on the well-being and needs of others instead of your own as you enter the last segment of your life?
Often your own physical needs can increase as you age, but if you determine to be a blessing and to bless, you will be able to focus on being a blessing even while your energy wanes. Do what you can with what you have to leave at least a legacy of kind words and thoughts as you face your inevitable role of passing on your testimony and knowledge of God to those who can benefit from it after you're gone.
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