God’s purpose
When I was young, I had big dreams of what I was going to do with my life. I wanted to work in the movies! Not as an actor, but as someone who made films, especially the special effects!
This ‘cinematic career’ was mainly inspired by big blockbuster films that amazed and thrilled me as a child and teen. The original Star Wars Trilogy, Back to the Future and Raiders of the Lost Ark were just some of the films I loved!
As I have grown older, my love of film has remained. I still love watching all the extra features on DVDs, and now on YouTube, to see how movies are made.
However, my childhood dream of being the next Stephen Spielberg changed as my faith became stronger and more central in my life. It was this that led me to Bible College in the late 1980s and from there to working for the church, where I still am to this day.
Now in my early 50s, I sometimes reflect on the choices I have made. Then looking ahead, I am more focused on making a real difference, and to be as intentional as possible.
I recently read this in the Bible about the most famous king in Israel’s history…
“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed…”
I was really struck by this sentence. In other words, it says that King David did all that God intended for him before he died. That’s a great achievement. I do hope God will say that of me when my time is up!
What was it about David that enabled him to fulfil this? Here are three things I have observed:
David was a man after God’s own heart. Meaning, he was fully obedient to all that God asked him to do, unlike his predecessor King Saul (check out the story in 1 Samuel).
David was not perfect. He took and slept with another man’s wife and got her pregnant. Then he had that man killed as well! When confronted about it, David was swift to acknowledge his awful behaviour and he repented before God.
David had one eye on the future. He planned and invested in a great Temple for God, which his Son Solomon then built.
Let me encourage you to ponder these things as I believe they could help you to fulfil all that God has for you:
Be someone ‘after God’s own heart’. Be obedient to all he asks of you.
Be quick to repent from any wrongs things you may do.
Look ahead and do things now that will affect the future for good.
God bless
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader