"The Life of William Carey"

GOOD AFTERNOON!

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Today’s devotional thoughts are about the life of William Carey. Born in England, William Carey (1761-1834) was the first missionary to India. He served in India for forty-one years, translating the entire Bible in Bengali, and several other languages. During those forty-one years, Carey had persisted in his work despite great loss and heartache to capture India for Christ. When he died, there were over thirty missionaries throughout India, forty native teachers, and approximately six hundred church members. Carey sparked a missions movement that has carried on to this day. Today, there are hundreds and thousands of followers of Jesus Christ and missionaries in and from India. He is known as the Father of Modern Missions.

Nothing was more characteristic of Carey than his consuming concern for souls—even before he became a missionary. While in England, a neighbor once complained to him for spending so much time preaching and neglecting his shoe business. Carey replied, “My real business is to preach the gospel and win lost souls. I cobble shoes to pay expenses.”

William Carey was an ordinary man from England who believed in a God with whom all things are possible. Often we can idolize the great Christian missionary heroes of the past, but

William was a person just like us, who was saved by grace, and having experienced the Father’s heart for the unreached, knew that he could not stand still and not share His love with others. His story is a wonderful testimony for us to remember that through tiny steps of obedience and faithfulness, we can join God in the work He is doing, and trust that He is the one who will impact the world for His name’s sake.

Here are some quotes from William Carey. I hope they encourage your faith.

• "I’m not afraid of failure; I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter."

• "To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map."

• "Is not the commission of our Lord still binding upon us? Can we not do more than now we are doing?"

• "Surely it is worthwhile to lay ourselves out with all our might in promoting the cause and kingdom of Christ."

• "It is the duty of those who are entrusted with the Gospel to endeavor to make it known among all nations."

• "The less said about me the better."

• "I feel it my duty to plod on while daylight last."

• "The future is as bright as the promise of God."

• "You have been speaking about William Carey. When I am gone, say nothing about William Carey-speak only about William Carey’s Savior."

Much love and care,

Pastor Pat

Greece Assembly of God

In Partnership with