Craig Clouston

Don’t Take it to the Grave

…when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;

Acts 13:36

Sixty-three years old, and eligible for early-stage Social Security, Terry had been ready for retirement…ready to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He’d been a model employee in his thirty-eight years at the plant. Terry was a loving and devoted family man. His children had grown up in a secure home, never knowing want or need. Terry’s job had provided for vacations and college. In the world’s eyes, Terry had lived the American Dream.   

Yet, he’d never found that deep sense of fulfillment he’d strived to achieve in his work. He left work each day with a wistful sense of, When I retire I’ll be able to do what I really want to do! Secretly, Terry had always wanted to make people laugh. A masterful storyteller, Terry had always intended to write anecdotal stories that made for light hearts, but he’d never gotten around to it.

Now, standing beside his casket, his wife, Jean, not only felt the great sense of loss that comes with the death of a spouse…she felt regret. Terry’s dream would never be realized. He would never write a single line, or see his finished work published. Life seemed so cruel.  

†

Today’s text says David did what he was created to do…and then he died.

With no inkling of when that moment will come for us, wouldn’t it be great to know that, as we are kneeling before the King, we, like David, had fulfilled God’s purpose for our life?   

It’s been said that if you want to find the most potential on earth, look in a graveyard. The truth is most people aimlessly trudge through life following a path they didn’t choose, working at a dead-end job they found no fulfillment in, and then die unfulfilled.    

There is no sin or shame in working at a job not of our choosing; we must provide the necessities of life. Yet, there is a divine purpose, born in each heart, which yearns for fulfillment. It will not happen automatically or by chance. That is why it’s called our purpose and not our accident.  We must seek God’s divine purpose for our life...and then follow His leading…until we die.   

Prayer

“Lord, reveal to me my life-purpose…that area of service You created me for. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”