Esther 10: What is a Legacy?

Have you ever wondered what people will remember most about you after you’re gone? We invite you to ponder this profound question as we journey through the final chapter of Esther. Through the legacies of King Xerxes and Mordecai, we challenge the conventional belief that legacy is about monumental achievements or worldwide fame. Instead, we suggest that a true legacy is found in the words and memories of those closest to us. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of how making a difference in your immediate world can leave a lasting impact, proving that everyday contributions can be incredibly beautiful and significant.

As we wrap up our study of Esther, we reflect on Esther 10 and discuss the importance of living a life centered on key relationships. We explore how focusing on the thoughts and feelings of your loved ones, rather than seeking approval from the wider world, can shape the stories told about us after we’re gone. We also include a touching prayer, asking for God's guidance in nurturing these essential relationships and trusting in His plan for each of us, as illustrated in Esther 4:14. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode, where we will embark on a new journey through the book of Titus, starting with chapter 1.

Contact us- 

Ask a Question
Send Encouragement

Take a Next Step-

SOAP Bible Study Method.
Bible Reading Plan.
Free Weekly Newsletter.

Socials-

Facebook.
Instagram.
X.
YouTube.

The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Understanding the Concept of Legacy

Speaker 1 0:00

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, esther, chapter 10, and this is the grand finale. This is the final chapter. It's a very short chapter, but it leads into a question I think is so very important and I think the chapter best be titled what is a Legacy? What is a Legacy? We're going to do that in just a moment, but, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure that you are leaving us comments and reviews and all that. It really helps our channel grow. But then also make sure you're joining us at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook.

Speaker 1 0:35

The more we dig, the more we find and, as always, I can't go one day without saying thank you to those people who are writing those entries, those posts. They do such a great job. They're an encouragement to me and I'd encourage you to comment on those posts and just say, oh, thank you, thank you, and share those with us, as we're just continuing to just dig into God's Word and the more we dig, the more we find. If you have your Bible, want to open up with me to Esther, chapter 10. The story is basically over. You know, they started is basically over. They started off in this horrible place. It was a mess and now it's turned into something beautiful, a day of celebration and deliverance. And remember it's the overall theme of Esther and that is God uses a mess to make something beautiful. There's one more little caveat here, one more little addendum epilogue that's the best word To finish this. And I want to finish off with a question and a challenge for all of us. So let's read this together.

Speaker 1 1:29

Let's talk about what a legacy is. First, one says this of chapter 10 king xerxes imposed a tribute throughout his empire, even to the distant coastlands. His great achievements and the full account of his greatness of mordecai, whom the king had, are recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Media and Persia. Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister. His authority was next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants. What strikes me about this is it talks about the legacy of two men, king Xerxes saying that he had great achievements and there's a full account, you know, written down somewhere, but also the greatness of Mordecai, who went from just you know someone in the capital of Susa to then becoming the prime minister that's basically second in command of the entire empire.

Speaker 1 2:31

What a legacy, right? Well, here's the thing. My hope for you is that you achieve all the great things that God has planned for you. But what exactly does that look like? What does it mean to live a life well-lived? It's what many people would say a legacy is is to live a life well lived. What does that look like For King Xerxes? It meant he did great achievements and it was written down somewhere. For Mordecai, god used him to save an entire nation. What does it look like for you?

Speaker 1 3:00

What is the definition of legacy? Well, it's important to realize that there's very unhealthy, unintentional but unhealthy views of legacy, and there's healthy views. An unhealthy view of legacy is that you have to beat everybody else. That comes from a place of brokenness. If you try to define legacy what you're known for and you do it from a place of brokenness, then you have to be the best, do the best, make the most money, have the biggest house, make sure you have the best looking car. Make sure your kids do the best, best, best, best, best. Well, that's a form of comparison and that is one of the worst ways to try to define your life.

Speaker 1 3:37

So, this very short chapter, leaving us with a very big question what is a legacy? If it's not being the best at things, what is it? Well, I want to leave you, as we leave Esther, and tomorrow we're going to get into the book of Titus, which is so good. But I'm going to leave you with a quote I heard someone say just the other day. It was one of my kind of mentors from afar, someone I've never actually met, but I listen to him and preach. I read his book. His is the things your kids will say about you at your funeral. Think about that for a moment. If you don't have children, then put in that place just people, the things that people will say about you at your funeral. That's close.

Speaker 1 4:26

Sometimes we think that a legacy is something that the world knows. Can I say this to you With all the love I have? We have no idea what the world will know about us. Chances are 7 billion people on the planet. How many of those people do you know by first name? A small handful, right? A small handful of people that are celebrities, singers, you know, actors, whatever. You know those people by first name. There's 7 billion people on this planet right now. I think it's 7 billion, right? How many of those people do you know by first name? There's 7 billion people on this planet right now. I think it's 7 billion, right? How many of those people do you know by first name? Not many. There were 7 billion people, and I forget how many thousands of people die every day. So many thousands died yesterday. How many of those people do you know by name? Not most Throughout history. How many people? You get the point I'm trying to say? Most people live and die and you know nothing about it. So do so many others, because most people will never be known by the entire world. Only God knows that.

Speaker 1 5:23

Don't spend your life trying to make a difference in the world when the world that God has sent you to is right in front of you. Don't be worried about making a name for yourself that's going to live throughout the ages. Be concerned about what the people closest to you will think about. I heard someone say one time the only person who will remember how late you worked is your family. That hurts, doesn't it? The only people that will remember you know your bad days, is your family. The only people that remember your smile is your family. The only people that will remember the words of kindness are those closest to you. And so I want to say this again, and it's a heavy, heavy legacy, but it's one that focuses our vision just a little bit, because, once again, if we're not careful, our vision can be a telescope when really it needs to be a magnifying glass when it comes to our legacy. Your legacy is a great definition Are the things your kids will say about you at your funeral. Are the things people will say about you.

Speaker 1 6:24

I was talking to someone today and I mentioned that because it's just been living rent-free in my brain for the past several days now and this gentleman told me that when he had a family member who passed away and he said you know, my dad had this particular job, but when we went to a funeral, we went to the funeral and the days after the funeral he said you know, no one talked about his job. They they talked about stories of times when he had invested in them, times when, instead of walking down the hall, he stopped at their office Times when at church he didn't just wave and move on, but he went to them, shook their hand and said, how are you doing? Looked them in the eye and he said it was stories that probably my dad had no idea, but it meant something because it was real and it was personal. And even this, this was his son telling the story.

Speaker 1 7:12

So, once again, esther, chapter 10 is all about King Xerxes and Mordecai and their legacy, and I want to ask you, what is your legacy going to be? You can't help what the world thinks about you. You can't help, ultimately, what those closest to you, but you can get closer to it by living your life in such a way that they will tell good stories about you when you die and, as a sad thought, I hope you don't die for at least a thousand years, right? But if it happens, then you have a story. And so what does that mean? It's about taking what God has given you and focusing it in on those who matter most. What would it look like in our life if we cared less about what the world thought, thought more about what those closest to us thought? It's a heavy thing. It's a great way to end an amazing book of the Bible.

Speaker 1 7:58

Let's pray, god. Thank you so much for today. Thank you that you're with us and you're for us. I pray today, god, that you will help us, lord, to remember that the legacy we leave is all about the people around us. Help us, lord, to invest in these most important relationships and we thank you in advance for all you're going to do. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen, one more time. Esther, chapter 4, verse 14, says this If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place. Who knows, if you have perhaps been made queen for such a time as this? God has a plan for your life, right here and right now. Let's do it together. See you tomorrow. Titus, chapter 1.