A Man Fully Consecrated to God
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
“The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to Him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” – D.L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody was born in Northfield MA in 1837 and died there in 1899. In the 62 intervening years, he went from being a shoe salesman in his uncle’s store in Boston to one of the greatest evangelists of the 19th century. Moody established a large church and Bible institute in Chicago, both of which were renamed in his honor after his death. He also founded two schools in Massachusetts, one for girls in 1879 and one for boys in 1881, that eventually merged in the late 20th century.
Moody traveled the world as an itinerant evangelist along with hymnwriter and gospel singer Ira Sankey, drawing huge crowds in England, Scotland, and Sweden. He was so well-known that Abraham Lincoln attended one of his Sunday School classes and Ulysses S. Grant attended one of his revival meetings. A conscientious objector during the Civil War, Moody paid nine visits to various battlefronts under the auspices of the United States Christian Commission of the YMCA. He also modified and used to great effect the “Wordless Book” first designed by C.H. Spurgeon.
Today’s quote epitomizes Moody’s passion for serving God and reaching the lost. So does the following quote also attributed to him: "Faith makes all things possible... Love makes all things easy." Despite not having a formal Bible education and losing everything in the Great Chicago Fire except for “his reputation and his Bible,” D.L. Moody was used by God to impact millions of people during his 40-year ministry career.
Moody reminds me of a young shepherd boy named David, whom God called “a man after My own heart” (see I Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22). Not sinless or perfect but dedicated and fully committed.
Remember, my friend, God doesn’t want your ability; He wants your availability. He will supply the rest and use you for His glory beyond your wildest dreams.
“For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.” I Kings 11:4-6 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
