Session 5

How to build a legacy that lasts

From Habakkuk: A 7-Day Devotional

You pull into the dump with your final load of trash. The cleanup was a success, and you are ready to bask in the neatness of your newly-organized garage. But as you leave, you notice the rusted remnants of a gas grill, decayed fragments of some outdoor furniture, and a tattered old couch among the dumpsters.

The piles of discarded goods provide a tangible reminder of the temporary nature of life on earth. Like us, Babylon lived in an age of prosperity and excess. People lusted after what was newer, bigger, and better. But none of what they built still stands.

In Habakkuk 2, God spoke through the prophet Habakkuk to warn Babylon that He was not pleased with their obsession with money and material possessions. Habakkuk chastises Babylon for the way they built their wealth. Their desires were not upright. They obtained their wealth through greed, arrogance, extortion, and bloodshed. Their house was built through unjust gain and filled with stolen goods.

Habakkuk warns the Babylonians that, like the worn out items at the dump, their earthly possessions will eventually decay. A life built on materialism will not last. But a life built around a relationship with Jesus will last into eternity.

“The righteous will live by faithfulness,” Habakkuk writes, and one day “... the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Habakkuk 2:4 and Habakkuk 2:14).   

On that day, we will all give an account for what we built our lives on. Like the nations of Habakkuk’s day, we have a choice: We can build our lives on a relationship with Jesus, or we can build our lives on acquiring stuff and making money. But only one will last into eternity.

Reflect:

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to you to have the latest and greatest in terms of gadgets, clothes or toys? Why did you pick that number?
• God doesn’t get mad at Babylon for having nice things, but for the way they lusted after and worshipped nice things. As you think about your attitude toward money and stuff, is it verging on worship?
• Is there anything about your attitude to money and stuff that needs to change based on what you read today?