SERVING OUR GENERATION
“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.” Acts 13:36
The Word of God refers to David as having “served his own generation by the will of God.” This phrase could accurately describe our own great purpose in life. We are saved to serve the Lord and others. David “served his own generation.” Every generation has its own challenges and opportunities, and God commands us and equips us to serve our generation. How contrary this is to the message of the world, which emphasizes letting others do for us rather than our doing for others. Like our Master, we are to be faithful servants. Jesus, speaking of Himself, said, “the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). By example and by His words, Jesus teaches us that we are placed here in this life to serve.
We live in an exciting time to serve the Lord. It would be vain to wish for the good old days, or deceive ourselves into thinking that a better day to serve the Lord will one day come. What is wrong with today? Our day is full of unique opportunities. Fruitful believers have always seized their individual moment for service. As Mordecai said to Esther, “who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) The best time for serving the Lord is now. The needs in every generation have been great. God has placed us here, at this time and in the place of our service, uniquely qualified to touch our generation with God’s Word and His love.
Undoubtedly, there will always be those who doubt their ability to significantly impact their generation for Christ. What would be the greatest contribution we could make to our generation and our world? David served his own generation “by the will of God.” The best thing we can hope to do with our lives, and the most beneficial manner for us to help others, is to live in the will of God. It is a mistake to try to be what God wants someone else to be. We are to find the will of God and live in it. No one can do for this generation exactly what God wants done through you. When we can truthfully say that we are living in God’s will, and serving our own generation, we are fulfilling our greatest purpose in life.