Acts chapter 13 verse 36 is an awesome Bible verse – we’re gonna talk about it today on “Practical Faith,” and I’d love for you to consider memorizing it!
It says, “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.”
That verse again is Acts 13:36 – “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.”
My grandfather died in January of 2021 at the age of 93½. He loved the Lord, his family, and his church. He was honest and hard-working; he genuinely cared about people, and he was very good at his job.
Poppa came from nothing – he grew up as the son of share-croppers in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. After serving in the military, he drove a bread delivery truck and lived at the YMCA in downtown Columbus. He went on to produce millions of dollars over a 60-year career in the life insurance business.
Successful as he was, Poppa gave away far more than he ever spent on himself.
He financially supported numerous individuals and families. He supported a variety of local & international mission projects. He constantly gave to people in need:
• food,
• furniture,
• clothing,
• transportation –
• whatever he had to give.
Later in life, while he could still drive, Poppa would take the sanctuary flowers after the Sunday morning worship services from his church – he would split them up into individual stems, and then he would personally deliver them to the elderly and homebound members of his church.
Poppa volunteered in his church’s food pantry every Tuesday and Thursday morning until he could physically no longer carry the boxes of food out to the people’s cars anymore.
After he moved into the nursing home, he would walk the halls each day, greeting fellow residents and nurses by name, telling jokes, and telling them that he loved them and that God loved them.
At the end of Poppa’s life, all he had left to his name were two boxes of possessions and about two weeks’ worth of clothing in his closet. That was it.
Rex Hodges served God’s purpose in his own generation, and (as the Bible says it) he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors in Parkhill Cemetery, and his body will decay.
But – this isn’t a sad story.
Poppa frequently remarked that his grandmother used to tell him that she thought he was supposed to be a missionary – and just a few years ago when he was telling me that with regret in his voice, I said to him, “Poppa, you have personally impacted thousands of lives, right here in the Columbus area! You’ve touched more lives for Jesus than most missionaries will ever get the opportunity to touch!”
Poppa served God’s purpose in his own generation! Right where he was – with the people he saw and interacted with everyday – whoever God put in front of him – that was Poppa’s mission field.
I pray that God will call some of you listening today into international missions. And when He does, I pray that you will pack your bags and GO!
But, until He does, God has purposes for you to serve right here – right in your very own town – among your very own generation.
May this verse describe your life and mine someday – Acts 13:36 – “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.”
