Building for a Future We'll Never See: Why What We Do Today Matters for the Next 100 Years

Meta Description: What if your obedience today became the foundation for someone else's faith tomorrow? Discover five principles of permanent purpose from 1 Chronicles 29.

What if the most important thing you ever did was something you'd never personally see the results of?

That's a strange thought in a world obsessed with instant feedback and measurable outcomes. But it's exactly the kind of thinking that has sustained the church for over two thousand years — and it's the question I've been sitting with as we close out our Pathways sermon series here at CityRise.

Nearly a hundred years ago, a retired medical missionary named Nanny B. David looked around West University Place and noticed something missing: a gospel-centered Baptist church in her community. So she started one. On her front porch.

She had no way of knowing that her simple act of faithfulness would one day become three campuses, over 1,600 people gathering for worship every Sunday, and hundreds of thousands of dollars sent annually to support global mission. She just heard God's voice and obeyed.

You and I are standing on her shoulders today. And the question we have to answer is this: Who will stand on ours?

The Principle That Changes Everything

As we wrapped up this series, I took us to 1 Chronicles 29, where we find King David at the end of his life — forty years of leading Israel, and now preparing to hand the kingdom to his son Solomon. David won't worship in the temple he's spent everything to prepare. He's building for people he'll never meet.

And in that moment, he teaches us something profound: any work built for the Lord will outlive the one who builds it.

Here are five principles from that passage that I believe are just as true for us today as they were for David then.

1. Permanent Purpose Begins With Hearts Anchored in God

In 1 Chronicles 29:18, David prays:

"O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you."

Notice what David doesn't pray for. Not prosperity. Not protection. Not even peace. He prays for permanence. The Hebrew phrase shamar ad olam means "keep forever" — preserve continually, guard permanently. He follows it with kun lebab, "direct their hearts" — make it steadfast, establish it.

David understood that a building full of people is just a building full of people unless those people are aligned with God's purpose. That's what I want for CityRise. Not just a gathering, but a movement — fueled by hearts fully devoted to God.

2. Permanent Purpose Looks Beyond Today's Leaders to Tomorrow's

In verse 19, David shifts his prayer from the people to the next generation of leadership:

"Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision."

David prays three things for Solomon: integrity of heart, obedient action, and a fulfilled calling. He's not just asking God to help his kid succeed. He's asking God to shape Solomon to carry the work forward.

When we invest in the local church, we're not just funding programs or buildings. We're creating a launching pad for future leaders — people who aren't even born yet — who will one day stand where we're standing and hold up the Word of God for the next generation.

Every act of generosity we make today becomes a platform for someone else's obedience tomorrow.

3. Permanent Purpose Is Strengthened When Generations Worship Together

Verse 20 tells us:

"Then David said to all the assembly, 'Bless the Lord your God.' And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king."

The word "bless" here carries the idea of kneeling — a posture of humility and surrender. David leads the entire nation in worship, and they respond together. This flows directly from the key verse of our Pathways initiative, 1 Chronicles 29:16:

"O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own."

That's the posture we're called to. We don't own what we have — we steward it. God gives it; we channel it for him. The goal isn't to be a reservoir, gathering and holding. It's to be a vessel, through which God pours his generosity into the church and the world.

4. Permanent Purpose Is Built Through Sacrificial Joy

Look at what happens next in verses 21–22:

"And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness."

Three words stand out to me here.

Sacrifice — giving something valuable, declaring it devoted to the Lord rather than to ourselves.

All — every leader, every family, every person. Not "someone else will cover it." All participated.

Gladness — they didn't give reluctantly or out of obligation. They feasted. They celebrated. Because giving generously, sacrificially, and joyfully produces something in us that holding back never can.

Don't let your worship cost you nothing. There is a joy available to us on the other side of sacrificial generosity that we will simply miss if we sit this one out.

5. Permanent Purpose Is Confirmed When the Next Generation Steps Up

The passage closes with this in verses 22–25:

"And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time... Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father, and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him... And the Lord made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel."

David poured everything into preparation. The people gave sacrificially. And then — the next generation stepped in and led with strength.

That's not just a leadership transition. That's permanent purpose continuing.

Whatever we build that truly belongs to God, the next generation will rise to lead it. Our obedience today becomes the foundation for someone else's calling tomorrow.

Four Truths Worth Carrying With You This Week

As I close, I want to leave you with four statements that capture the heart of everything we've been talking about:

• We don't give for what we see. We give for who will come after us.
• We don't build for our own comfort. We build for God's glory.
• We don't sacrifice for our name. We sacrifice for the next generation's faith.
• We don't invest in a moment. We invest in a movement.

Nanny B. David didn't know what her front-porch church would become. She just knew God was calling her to be faithful. And ninety-eight years later, here we are.

Ninety-eight years from now, someone will be standing where we're standing. The question is what kind of foundation they'll be standing on — and whether we had the faith and the courage to help build it.

If today's post encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected. Visit cityrise.org/connect to share a prayer request, ask a question, or let us know how we can support you on your faith journey. And if you're in the Houston area, there's a place for you at one of our campuses — we'd love to welcome you in person.

Watch the full sermon at cityrise.org.

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