What was it that made people like John Wesley, Charles Finney, Paul, or... to live such powerful lives for Christ? Why are there so few who make such a difference for the Kingdom as they did? What pieces do we seem to be missing?
I have really been contemplating this issue. I have wondered why we also seem to have the attitude that they were spiritual giants, and we have no hope of ever accomplishing even a fraction of what they did. They were only men...men who had glaring character flaws just as the rest of us do...but they were men empowered by the Spirit of God.
But why? What made the difference for them? What can we take from their lives to learn to live more like they did?
The answer I've come to is that they were disciplined. They trained for their spiritual lives daily and dilligently, just like a professional athlete would. They did not just take their service to God casually, but they were continually caught up in practices of prayer, solitude, fasting, service, submission, simplicity, and worship so much that they became automatic. Do you think that God could just be waiting for the rest of us to do the same sorts of things?
We may never have the same influence that they did on the world, but the truth is that the power of the Holy Spirit that they lived by and relied on continually is just as readily available to us all as it was to them. God can give it to us, but He wants us to work with him. There is no reason that we cannot live lives of victory and giving glory to God as they did, as long as we are prepared to put in the training and effort that is due on our end.
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"There is no reason that we cannot live lives of victory and giving glory to God as they did, as long as we are prepared to put in the training and effort that is due on our end."
ReplyDeleteThats good stuff man. Real good stuff.
God has given us all a call to greatness, but too many times we think that it is to come easily. Greatness always comes at a cost. And the cost requires risk.