Message summary: Let us, like David, seek to serve God’s purpose in our generation in each chapter of our life!

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“When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed” (Acts 13:36).

Last night I received an email that Jack Provard passed away at the ripe old age of 94. Jack and his late wife Milly, whom he had been married to for 66 years, became our friends when we pastored near each other in northern PA in the early nineties. Jack was quietly faithful. He loved the Lord and preaching God’s Word with all his heart. During the past couple years, he was known as “Pastor Jack” at Country Meadows (nursing home) because he engaged in informal “Pastoral Ministry” while in his wheel chair. (Note: This photo was taken 17 years ago when we enjoyed dinner together.)

In Michael W. Smith’s song “Friends” there’s a line that states, “A chapter in your life is through.” Jack Provard completed his final chapter on this side of eternity.

Consider your life’s journey as a series of chapters. You can do this in a variety of ways such as relational, vocational or geographical.

For instance geographically I’ve had several long chapters based on where I have lived such as my childhood in the Kansas City area, my college years in Springfield Missouri, and my years of pastoral ministry in St. Marys, Pennsylvania and Taunton, Massachusetts.  For twenty-five years now we’ve lived here in Lancaster County, serving in chaplaincy and developing this internet ministry.

As in a book, the chapters of our life are intertwined. I'm grateful that there are recipients of this devotional from each chapter in my life; my family, a 1st grade friend, college friends, people who were in our churches, right up to those whom I have met just recently. If you think about it, you have people like that in your life as well don’t you? I sure hope so!

Each chapter in our life is a part of the overall fulfillment of God’s purpose. Consider the daily text. In the historical books we have a lot of information on David. Perhaps, apart from Moses, we have more biographical information on David than any other Old Testament personality.

But the apostle Paul, preaching in a Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, makes a simple statement concerning David’s life, “When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation”.

God places us all on this earth for a season, a period of time known as our "own generation". Like David, all of us (except the final generation) will eventually fall asleep (die) and our bodies will decay. Blunt but true.

We choose to live our life for self or in consecration to God’s purpose. Recall the old saying, “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last".

Today, let us, like David, seek to serve God’s purpose in our generation during each chapter of our life!

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen and Brooksyne Weber