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Imitation: Dwight L. Moody

"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith" (Hebrews 13:7).

The best way to learn is by imitation.

The first nine years of my life in Christ were on active duty in the U.S. Navy. There were not many men there whom I could imitate in order to be more like Jesus, although there were a few for which I am grateful. In 1951, I discovered the BIOLA Bookstore in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Two of the books I bought there were C. T. Studd’s Cricketer and Pioneer and David Brainerd’s diary. Since then, I have been imitating men who are already with the Lord by reading their biographies and learning from them. Some of my favorites are Hudson Taylor, George Mueller, James Fraser, and Paget Wilkes. I encourage you to read such books and imitate these kinds of men.

The book I’m reading right now is a biography of Dwight L. Moody published in 1900. Moody was a great evangelist of the 19th century. He also started three colleges: a women’s college, a men’s college, and Moody Bible Institute. I have learned a lot from his life, both in evangelism and in prayer.

Comments

pat langness said…
I have learned how to write better from Jim Wilson. If Jim has a question about the Word he reads on to the next verse. This, I think, is called the inductive way of studying the Bible, which is Jim's forte. This inductive method has helped me answer questions that come up while I am writing. Thanks, Jim, for teaching me how to listen to God.

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