The
Day Dwight L. Moody Was Converted
Diane Severance, Ph.D. and Dan Graves, MSL
Dwight L. Moody did not attend school beyond the
fifth grade; he could not spell, and his grammar was awful.
His manners were often brash and crude, and he never became an ordained
minister.
Once, before his conversion, he so outraged an Italian shoe salesmen
with a prank, that the man chased him with a sharp knife, clearly intending to
kill him.
Yet, Dwight L. Moody was used by God to lead thousands of people to
Christ.
Moody's life of Christian service began with his conversion on this day, April
21, 1855.
Dwight came to Boston as a teenager from Northfield, Massachusetts, and
he felt all alone in the big city.
The boy was desperate for work. An uncle took him on as a shoe
salesman--on condition that he be obedient and that he attend Mt. Vernon
Congregational Church.
The young man had been raised in a Unitarian church which denied the
full divinity of Christ and did not emphasize human need for salvation from
sins.
Now Dwight heard about those things. But he decided that he wanted to
enjoy the pleasures of the world and wait to get saved until just before he
died.
However, the kindness of his Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball,
turned young Moody into his life-long friend, and encouraged him to persist in
his church attendance and regular Bible reading.
Though Moody did try to read the Bible, he could not understand it.
Kimball later said he had never seen anyone whose mind was as spiritually dark
as Dwight's.
That changed on this day, April 21, 1855.
Kimball came to the shoe store to ask Dwight to commit his life to
Christ. Dwight listened closely and became a Christian that day.
Immediately he began sharing his faith with others, including his own
family.
They wanted nothing to do with his faith. "I will always be a Unitarian," his
mother said. (However, she converted shortly before her death.)
And at first Dwight Moody was not allowed to become a church member.
Asked what Christ had done for him, the nervous boy replied that he was not
aware of anything particular. Leaders felt that was an unacceptable answer.
When Moody later moved to Chicago he wandered the streets to find young
boys to bring to his Sunday School class.
He had a passion for saving souls and determined never to let a day pass
without telling someone the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Often he irritated strangers on the street by asking them if they were
Christians - but his pointed questioning stirred the consciences of many.
God used the converted shoe salesman to become the leading evangelist of
his day.
Estimates vary, but Dwight Moody is thought to have led as many as a
million people to confess faith in Christ.
Among his many achievements on either side of the Atlantic was the
founding of Moody Bible Institute.
.
God never calls us to do something for Him that He does not empower us to do if we are willing to do the work and time. Take the time to get to know God in an intimate way.
.
.
God never calls us to do something for Him that He does not empower us to do if we are willing to do the work and time. Take the time to get to know God in an intimate way.
.
Your purpose
on earth is to shine God’s love to a lost and dying world.
.
Open your
ears and your heart to the Lord and be excited about your new future serving
Him in spirit and truth.
.
God has made
it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own
life.
Serve Him..
Wait on Him.
.
And expect …
for He is able to do much much more than you can ask or imagine.
.
Settle that
sin issue ...
“Father God, I confess I
am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I
now want to turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to
You.
Please forgive me, and
help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son,
Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and
hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become
the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank
You that according to Your Word, I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy
Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I
promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Use me
for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
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