by John Grant
“I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT
In the 19th century, a young Christian heard a Bible teacher say, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man who is totally surrendered to Him.” The young Christian said to himself, “I want to be that man.” That young man was Dwight L. Moody, who became one of the greatest evangelists of all time, long before radio and television.
When the searching eyes of the Lord found Moody, they found a man whose “availability” far surpassed his “ability.” But God can do a lot with a little if He has all there is of it.
His father died at an early age of 41, leaving his widow in poverty, with a large mortgage on the home. The creditors grabbed everything they could, including firewood. Mrs. Moody tried to keep her family of nine children not only together, but together in Sunday School.
By the time Dwight was 17, he had become a successful shoe salesman. Moody accepted Christ in the back room of the shoe store through the guidance of his Sunday School teacher. He went on to become the great evangelist.
But he never got away from his simple commitment and the memories of the first time he stood up to speak as a young man, when one of the deacons assured him that, in his opinion, he would serve God best by keeping still. Another critic praised Moody for his zeal but pleaded with him, saying that he should realize his limitations and not attempt to speak in public. “You make too many mistakes in grammar.”
Moody patiently made reply to the man’s concern: “I know I make mistakes, and I lack many things, but I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got.” He then quietly looked at the man and searchingly inquired, “Look here, friend, you’ve got grammar enough. What are you doing with it for the Master?”
God is looking for people today who will decide to take what they have and totally commit it to be used for the Master. God has made you who you are and placed you where you are with all the abilities you need to do what He uniquely created you to do.
It’s not time to sit back and muse about what you could do if you had what you don’t have. Rather, it’s time to do what you can do with what you do have and do it for the glory of God.
(a thought on life from John Grant )
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2011/08/16/jg_best-you-can/
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
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Short Thoughts for Cell Phones – God-daily.com
