COMMENTARY: NATIONAL CHAPLAIN'S MESSAGE
Living to Leave a Legacy—Building a Future
By Rev. Dr. Tony C. Evans, Sr. National Chaplain
Proverbs 13:22 states "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children." What we are seeing around us in many ways is leading to the erosion of our families, the fragmenting of our communities, and potentially jeopardizing the mere existence of our fraternity and the challenge of keeping our own integrity intact. We are in danger of losing the crucial distinction between ‘making a living and making a life.’" every hall we gathered in as a body of men representing Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. In the words of Martin Luther, when asked what he would do if he knew he were going to die tomorrow, replied simply, "I’d go out and plant a tree." He would, in other words, leave behind him a legacy of life that would grow on and on into the future. And that is what I want us as “One Kappa” to focus on - leaving a legacy that will grow on and on into the future. So my message is this: Let us not live, that Kappa becomes a Legend, but let us as Kappa Men live in such a way, that Kappa Leaves a Legacy—and I want to show you that from the Word of God. Over the years, Kappa Men have built a reputation and which is quite different from our legacy. Our reputation is who we are supposed to be; our legacy is who we are. A reputation is made in a moment; A legacy is built in a lifetime. A single newspaper report or careless gossip can give us a reputation; but a life of events filled with toil/achievements gives you your legacy. Reputation is what people will say about us during episodes of events; legacy is what our brothers will live with for the rest of their lives. So right now we are working on our legacy—Amen! Our Grand Polemarch, during gatherings of our fraternity, shouted every chance he could to “Leave a Legacy: Build a Future.” The words echoed in In following the scriptures according to 2 Timothy 4:6-7, notice that Paul’s brief statements here say nothing about the education he had received, the places he had traveled, the letters he had written, the people he had preached to, or the churches he had planted. He flat out wanted his
legacy to be labeled as "faithful." I love that! It’s what I want to aspire to as a follower of Jesus. As Paul pondered the end of his life, he made three very simple statements about his legacy. He says that he had . . . Fought the Good Fight. Finished the Race. Kept the Faith. I would suggest to all my brothers in Kappa that right there you have some of the greatest statements concerning ‘legacy’ you will ever read. If you want to leave a legacy that is greater than you, if you want to leave a legacy that will impact generation after generation, if you want to live your life to leave something that will be great, all you need is wrapped up in these three profoundly simple yet inspiring statements. Fight the Good Fight: if you want to leave a legacy that is greater than you, recognize each day that you are in a war - and choose to stand firm, clothed in your armor, as a spiritual warrior. Finish the Race: Finishing the race means ensuring in the process that you are neither disqualified nor disheartened in the race of life and ministry. Keep the Faith: The word for ‘keep’ means to manage, to guard, to look over. Some Christians bury their faith like the man with the one talent. You see my brothers as I come to my close, we must ask a very important question: Have you made up your mind to finish the race? I know it is hard, and the course long and the pain sometimes great. But will you finish? Your flesh does not want to finish because your flesh does not want to leave a legacy. Your flesh is all about self. When you rise up in faithfulness in Him, His life becomes the legacy you leave. When you realize that in Him you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28). He becomes the legacy that you live and the legacy that you leave. Let us Leave a Legacy...Building a Future for Kappa Alpha Psi. God’s blessing of thanks to the 33 rd Administration as we prepare to welcome in the 34 th Administration of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,
O ur Grand Polemarch Thomas L. Battles, Jr., launched the second term of the 33 rd Administration with the intent of Leaving a Legacy and Building a Future. He launched this based on being led by his spirit to asked himself the question, “What is your vision, Thomas? You may recall in the Post-Conclave Message, that he immediately turned to the book of Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” I was honored to be asked to join the 33 rd Administration as the National Chaplain to do whatever I could to embrace the efforts of “Leaving a Legacy and Building a Future” by way of heightening the spirituality of our fraternity. The reality is that every life leaves a legacy - that is not an option. The question is What type of legacy do you want to leave? How ever you frame that question - the truth is that right now you are working on the legacy you are going to leave. You see my brothers, our fraternity will have left in their hands primarily that which you pass on to them. They will be left with our legacy, good or bad, that is what they will have. And the legacy you leave will become the legacy they live, and in turn will become the basis for the legacy they leave.
To God Be the Glory!
10 | 84 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING ISSUE THE JOURNAL
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