1 Chronicles 10.13-14 13 So Saul died for his breach of
faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the
Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 He did not seek
guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the
kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. (ESV)
Yesterday, I had breakfast with a friend of mine and we
discussed what kind of old men we wanted to be. We didn't recount our sins but
we sure acknowledged we’d racked up a pile of them over the years. We both
agreed we wanted to be remembered for our faith and decided that was best. This
morning I read: Saul died for his breach
of faith.
King Saul’s life seemed to get worse as time went along
and probably the main characteristic of his life was relying on himself…instead
of God. Saul just didn't seem to get it. I don’t want to be like Saul:
self-reliant and faithless. His successor David, had his share of troubles but
he seemed to always come back to the Source of his strength: the Lord.
If you are a man and you’re reading this today: what kind
of old man do you want to be? Our culture says, in life, you’re to work hard,
amass a personal fortune, and then play when you get to that age. Is that your goal? If you were to die today, what would
be the epilogue written about you? There is a time to put aside one career but
as long as we have breath, there’s always room for one more…
The epilogues of the faithful in Scripture resonate with
these words: they lived long and died full
of years… implying they lived on purpose in fellowship with their God.
Sometimes in life it isn't what you do, it’s Who you know in what you do. Living
life on purpose in fellowship with God seems best. Continual, constant,
complete: those are words that look good in an epilogue.
In life there is a way all men go: death. We can die full
of years: full of purpose, intention, and always looking for the next gig; or
we can die unfulfilled. We have a grandson coming any day now and it appeals to
me to pour as much of my life into that child as I can, while I have time. I
don’t want to be a nuisance but I do want to help that little boy get started
living a long intentional life, full of years.
It is often sadly and cynically said the good die young; I would add: the old die good. Or at least they ought to. My life is to be: begin well, live well, and die good. My
life is to be lived in faith in God Almighty (not His last name, but fitting if
it was). And the epilogue of my life shouldn't contain words like broken faith.
I may not be in control of all of the events of my days
but I am in control of where I put my faith and how I live my life: under God’s
rule and in His care…all of my days. Today, I pray for the courage and strength
to live life well, faithfully; and with intentional purpose accepting the
things I cannot change and acting upon the things I can. And I want to try to
replicate these days into a tapestry that adds up to a life well-lived with an
epilogue well-written and oft recited. It beats the alternative…
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