Hebrews 11:4 (NLT)
4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. God accepted Abel’s offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith.
     “All things done for self will past, and all things done for Christ will last”, so goes the old DC talk song.  Abel’s legacy lives on thousands of years later due to his faith, because he was a righteous man.  My Pastor spoke just briefly about this at a leadership picnic last night and it has remained with me all day.  We don’t know exactly what Abel did to show his righteousness but we know God accepted his sacrifice and we know that God lists him here in this passage because of his righteousness.  What will you legacy be?  Will what you do still speak to people days, months years, centuries later?
     If what we do, we do for the sake of ourselves then it is sure to pass away like the snow in spring barely to be a memory in our minds replaced by next years winter.  However the legacy we leave for our God, which is a legacy for the ages.  The book of Nehemiah lists the name of the men who worked on rebuilding the wall, I think because God wanted to show that he keeps track of the work done for him and on his behalf.  If he listed in his Word the names of brick layers how much more will he list the names of those who build his kingdom?  I think of Don Nonnenman the man who helped me to know Christ as real and his legacy as it continues through me and my youth ministry.
     In the movie Gladiator Maximus makes a very profound statement:
          Maximus: What we do in life echoes in eternity.
     The question lingers, what will your life echo?