Making Your Mark: Living a Life That Blesses Others
Have you ever wondered how people will remember you? When your name comes up in conversation, what thoughts and feelings will it evoke in others? This question gets to the heart of what it means to make your mark in this world.
Proverbs 10:7 gives us a powerful insight: “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” This verse presents two distinct paths for how we might be remembered, and the contrast couldn’t be more stark.
What Does It Mean to Leave a Blessing Behind?
When someone’s memory is a blessing, their very name brings comfort, inspiration, and positive feelings. Their life continues to impact others long after they’re gone. Think about people in your life whose memory brings a smile to your face or encouragement to your heart.
The alternative is sobering. A name that “rots” creates discomfort and causes people to turn away. It’s like walking into a room where something has died in the walls—the natural response is to leave quickly.
So how do we ensure our memory becomes a blessing rather than something people want to avoid?
What Is Righteousness?
The verse tells us that it’s “the memory of the righteous” that becomes a blessing. But what does righteousness actually mean?
Righteousness is about our relationship to a standard. Just as we have standards for friendship (they must be real, we must know them personally, they should like us), God has standards for us. The difference is that God’s standards are perfect and unchanging.
Righteousness means living in right relationship with God’s expectations. When we live in a way that pleases God, that righteousness overflows into blessing those around us.
The Problem We All Face
Here’s where we encounter a significant problem. Romans 3:10 tells us, “None is righteous, no, not one.” We need righteousness to make our mark as a blessing, but none of us can achieve it on our own.
God’s standard is absolute perfection, and we all fall short. We can’t generate righteousness from our imperfection. This places us in a position of profound need—a need that only God can meet.
How God Makes Us Righteous
God doesn’t lower His standards to accommodate our failures. Instead, He provides what theologians call “imputed righteousness.” This means God places His righteousness on our account.
1 Corinthians 1:30 explains: “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
Think of it like the “justify” button in a word processor. When you justify text, you’re moving it to satisfy the rules of alignment. Similarly, God justifies us—He moves our position to satisfy His holy standards.
Faith: The Channel of God’s Righteousness
How does God give us His righteousness? Through faith. Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham “believed the Lord, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Romans 3:21-26 elaborates on this truth. The righteousness of God comes “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” We are “justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Faith in Jesus changes everything. When we have nothing within ourselves to make a positive mark, God fills us with His goodness and grace. This enables us to make a difference in the lives of others.
Living by Faith Every Day
The apostle Paul considered knowing Christ of “surpassing worth” compared to everything else (Philippians 3:8-9). He wanted to be found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.”
If you want to be a blessing to your friends, family, community, and those who haven’t yet heard the gospel, you must live each day in faith. This goes beyond a Sunday morning experience—it means seeing all of life through the lens of faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:16-17 reminds us that “the righteous shall live by faith.” The memory of the righteous is a blessing, and the righteous live by faith.
Life Application
Do you want to make a mark that blesses others? Live out the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. When you do this consistently over time, you will make a difference that lasts.
Ask yourself these questions:
- How do I want people to remember me? What kind of legacy do I want to leave?
- Am I trying to create my own righteousness, or am I relying on the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ?
- In what areas of my life do I need to more fully live by faith?
- How might my faith overflow into blessing the people around me this week?
Take your next step of faith today. Whether it’s putting your trust in Christ for the first time, following through with baptism, or simply drawing closer to God in an area where you’ve been distant, move forward in faith. Remember, “the righteous shall live by faith,” and “the memory of the righteous is a blessing.”
