What Will You Leave Behind?

Every man leaves a legacy. The question is whether you'll choose it or default into one. 

Legacy isn't what you leave behind after you die, it's what you build while you're alive that outlives you.

And the people closest to you are watching right now, learning what manhood looks like from you.

In today's devotional, we wrap up Week One by tying it all together — identity, responsibility, courage, and brotherhood — and challenge you to live with intentionality, so the generation coming after you can walk in the blessing of your faithfulness.

Verse of the day: "We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done." Psalm 78:4

NEW TO THE MEN’S MORNING DEVOTIONAL? 

Welcome!

The Men's Morning Devotional is a podcast to help you man up in every way - in your faith, your family and your work - by spending a few minutes getting into the Word before you face the world. 

Every weekday, you'll get a challenge and encouragement from Scripture that speaks to the pressures you carry as a husband, a father, and a leader. You’ll get truth you can take straight into your day. And you’ll know you’re not standing alone, because men everywhere are waking up to fight the same battle.

Your hosts are Steve Alessi, pastor of Metro Life Church of Miami, FL, along with his sons and other leaders of our Goodfellas men's ministry.

Join us every weekday to man up! 

MORE PODCASTS YOU'LL ENJOY

Find more podcasts about faith and family from Metro Life Studios, including:

My Morning Devotional

The Family Business with The Alessis

The Mary and Martha Show 

You can listen to all of these shows on our Metro Life Studios app here! 

Get The Metro Life Studios app 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the Men's Morning Devotional. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Welcome to the final episode of the first week of our Men's Morning Devotional. I'm Steve Alesi. Up to this point, we've covered identity, responsibility, courage, and brotherhood. And if you have missed any of those devotionals, I encourage you to go back and listen. Today we wrap up Man Up Week One with a man up moment that ties it all together. Here's your man up moment. Every man leaves a legacy. The question is whether you'll choose it or default into one. That's right. We're talking legacy today, maybe one of my favorite subjects. Before we look at scripture, let me ask you this question. What kind of man do you want to be remembered as? Now, with that in mind, let's end this week with purpose and on purpose. Psalm chapter 78, verse 4 says, We will not hide them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. Legacy is not what you leave behind after you die. Legacy is what you build while you're alive that outlives you. And most men, if they're being honest, have thought more about their retirement account than their relational and spiritual inheritance. The psalmist here is talking about one of the most powerful mandates in Scripture, passing on the story of God's faithfulness to the next generation. And the instrument God chooses for that transfer? Guess what, brothers? It's you. It's fathers, it's mentors. Men who were willing to speak up, show up, and say, Let me show you something. Your children, the people in your world, are watching you right now. They're learning what manhood looks like from watching you. They're absorbing your responses to pressure, to disappointment, to success. They're taking notes on how you treat your wife, how you handle your finances, how you talk about God, and even how you talk to God. You're writing their script for what a man actually is. That's not meant to make you feel the weight of perfection, though you can handle any kind of weight that's put on you, but it's meant to make you feel the weight of intentionality. You don't have to be perfect to leave a legacy. You just have to be present. You have to be honest and pointing in the right direction. This week, God has been calling you to man up, to own who you are, to take responsibility, to walk through fear, though it's hard, to build relationships, though that's a challenge. All of that serves one purpose. So you can leave something behind that matters. So the men and women who come after you, they can walk in the blessing of your faithfulness. I'm confident you can do that. So here's our final man up challenge for our first week together. Write a one-sentence legacy statement. Say it like this. I want to be known as a man who and write in what you want to be known as. Then read it every morning next week. Let's pray. God help me live not just for today, but for what lasts. Let my life point people, especially those who are closest to me, towards you. May my legacy be one of faithfulness, love, and purpose. May it be great. In Jesus' name, amen.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word. Now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother, and we'll see you tomorrow morning. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.