A Legacy of Purpose
 
“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.” –Acts 13:36a (NIV)
 
Toward the end of the 19th century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.” Can you imagine him reading that about himself? A newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph. It was actually Alfred’s older brother who had died!
 
Still, reading that account had a profound effect on Nobel. He immediately decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing ways to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Peace Prize, which has become the supreme award given to those who have—in the opinion of the givers—made an exceptional contribution to the world’s peace and betterment. Because of the unique opportunity to read his own obituary in his lifetime, Nobel isn’t remembered as a merchant of death and destruction but as a man of charity and peace.
 
If you were to pass on soon, how do you think your obituary would read?
 
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all make mid-course corrections to alter the outcome of our legacy? Actually, we can! Just as Nobel’s  confrontation  with  the  ugly  truth  about  himself led  to  a  new  and  improved  life  purpose,  so  King  David’s understanding of his sin and shortcomings led to fresh resolve to accomplish God’s will in his day (cf. 2 Sam. 12 with Ps. 51). By the end, David had earned what are perhaps the best descriptions of a life well-lived. Paul was able to say: “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep” (i.e., died; Acts 13:36).
 
More importantly, the Lord Himself had said: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will” (v. 22). These historical footnotes comprise one of the most honorable epitaphs imaginable—living a life consumed with God’s purposes in the generation He has placed us. May that be able to be said of Saint Paul’s and each of us when God calls us home!
 
For Discussion: What do you hope people could truthfully and confidently say about you when you die? What must happen for that to be said?