Our purpose in life is not to make a name for ourselves, but to honor the name of the One who came to redeem us and set us free.
We are called to seek the glory of God, not to pursue fame and fortune. We don’t live to make ourselves famous, but to make Him famous.
If we do that, perhaps that will contribute to our legacy, what we pass on to generations to come. The opening verses of Psalm 145 state:
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
There’s a fountain in Piccadilly Circus which has been described as the “Times Square of London.” It’s in the center of a shopping, dining, and entertainment district. The monument has come to be known by another name, but it was actually constructed to remember the philanthropic work of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, known for years as Lord Ashley, named the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury upon the death of his father, according to the Christianity.org.uk website. He is now known as Lord Shaftesbury.
The website notes that Ashley-Cooper…
..used his position as an MP and well-connected aristocrat to improve conditions for workers in factories, textile mills and mines. He also tackled child labour. He rejected the opportunity for high office which his connections created for him. Shaftesbury also championed education for poorer children, better conditions for people committed to lunatic asylums and better housing for the poor. He was a fiercely committed evangelical Christian on the conservative side of the Church of England. His devout faith in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ inspired his life of good works.
The practice of using children as chimney sweeps was an area of concern. The article relates that: “He…campaigned against the use of small boys as chimney sweeps, becoming chairman of the Climbing Boys Society. A complete ban took decades of pressure but by 1875 he had helped introduce laws to regulate the trade.”
Lord Shaftesbury was considered a reformer and a dedicated Christian. Writing for the C.S. Lewis Institute, Richard Turnbull stated:
Shaftesbury believed that it was entirely appropriate for government to legislate for the protection of the vulnerable. However, he also viewed the role of government as extremely limited and potentially damaging to the wider Christian and social cause. This was the reason why the Christian voluntary society came to play such a significant role in his thinking and why he lamented, particularly around 1870, government taking over functions previously undertaken by such Christian societies.
Shaftesbury was committed to the voluntary principle in both evangelism and social concern. He was the chairman of the meeting that founded one of England’s premier home mission agencies in 1836, the Church Pastoral Aid Society. He worked across denominational boundaries in the London City Mission, founded in 1835. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Ragged School Union in 1844, a rather quaint Victorian title representing the union of voluntary Christian schools serving the poor. He was closely associated with the Church Missionary Society, the Bible Society, the London Society for the Promotion of Christianity Amongst the Jews, and numerous local societies. In essence his view was that both evangelism and social reform were best executed by Christians working together on the ground across the usual boundaries of denominational divisions.
Turnbull also notes that, “He was a long-standing friend, confidant and supporter of the great Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon.”
As the Christianity.org.uk website noted:
His Christian faith and understanding of the teachings of Jesus Christ inspired him to press for numerous social changes. He said God had called him to labour among the poor and felt sustained and comforted by his faith. He was president of the Bible Society for more than 30 years. He supported the Young Men’s Christian Association and financially backed a number of Christian missionary organisations. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ will return again to earth and Shaftesbury was among those who felt this would happen soon. This gave an extra urgency to his work. Shaftesbury was an early supporter of the movement to establish a homeland for Jewish people in Palestine.
Lord Shaftesbury, like Wilberforce before him, used his position in Parliament to push for social change according to the principles of Scripture. But, I think that he was first and foremost a Christian, not a politician. Certainly, we need more people in government who hold to a Christian worldview. Rather than complain about the ills of society, he used resources God had given to him - his rich faith in Christ, his positions of influence, and his passion for the poor and downtrodden, to push for change.
Jesus, when He comes into our lives, does more than “make things better” - He has come to make us new. Ashley-Cooper was not one to see glory for himself, but was devoted to the glory of God. And, changing of hearts, the product of Kingdom work, was the greatest contribution by which he would be remember. Nice to get a fountain in London to remember him by, but that fountain doesn’t match how God used him to fundamentally change areas of British society.
Fame is fleeting, and while we would hope to leave a legacy behind that can impact people for our generation and the generations to come, we should always be cognizant that God is calling us to be faithful to Him and that our ultimate reward is in heaven eternally. Our citizenship in heaven should drive what we pursue and accomplish here on earth.