A Purpose to Fulfill

September 18, 2020

Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. Acts 13:36

Everyone needs to believe their life matters. You can believe it. It is true. It is the reason you are here. If you don’t find, understand, and fulfill your life purpose, life doesn’t make sense. No matter what else you do, if your purpose is unfulfilled you will permanently have a hole in your life. No one and nothing can fill it but God.  

The people who have been the pillars of life and the giants we remember as world changers are the ones who followed God’s plan and purpose for them. As a young boy, David put God at the center of his life. He wrote songs to God as he was a simple, unsung shepherd boy. But God knew him, his abilities, and exactly where he was. God called him up to the major leagues to fulfill a great purpose no one but he could fill. Over and over again David was in the right place at the right time. He was God’s man for the situation, from Goliath all through his lifetime. He was an amazing leader and now, thousands of years later, he is remembered all over the world. The only explanation for that is that he found a purpose to live for in God.

Acts 13:36 witnesses to this: Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep (he died). There could be no better epitaph. I was exactly who I was supposed to be, doing what I was supposed to do, serving God and my generation.

The truth is you can’t serve God in any other generation except your own. You may want to, but it’s wishful thinking. We cannot bring back the past. Effective serving must always be done in the context of the current generation and culture. Whether we like it or not, we must serve the people in the culture as it really is—not in some past form that we may have idolized and thought was perfect.  

David’s ministry was relevant and timely. He did it “in his generation.” He served God’s eternal and unchanging purpose in a contemporary context, and related to his generation in a timely, but timeless way. We must be contemporary, changing our methods without compromising truth. In each new generation, the methods must change. The past is over. We must serve today and prepare for tomorrow. Serving our generation well means sharing Jesus relevantly in the power of the Holy Spirit, leaving the results to God. When we do it with our community, the church, His purpose is served, our lives matter, and we live with joy.

• Pray: Father, You know my fears and prejudices about serving well in my generation. I want to be effective, make a difference, and be satisfied, knowing You are pleased with me. Help me be connected effectively with Your church, serving effectively in our world.