Day 1: God Puts Trust In You

What do you believe or feel was the greatest miracle that ever took place in the life of a human person? Salvation? That’s wonderful, but if the other miracle hadn’t taken place, salvation would never be available. I would suggest it is the conception of Jesus in the womb of virgin Mary. There is no other miracle that even approaches that when you consider that God Himself, in the person of Jesus, somehow took His place in the womb of Mary and developed as a perfect human baby.

I believe Mary was certainly not more than seventeen years old when that happened, according to the culture of the Jewish people. I’m so amazed that God had such confidence in this young Jewish girl that He would stake the whole plan of salvation on her saying yes. And it really also helps me to understand that God risks a lot in you and me. He risks that we’ll obey.

God took a risk when He called me to be a teacher of the Scriptures. In 1944 He said in words, “I’ve called thee to be a teacher of the Scriptures in truth and faith and love which are in Christ Jesus,” and then He added, “for many.” That was in 1944. And God, in a sense, trusted me. And I never have any greater sense of responsibility than being faithful to what God called me to do. I have devoted myself to being the best Bible teacher that I can be. Not better than anybody else. I don’t compare myself with other people. My standard is, What can I be by the grace of God?

And I want to say to each of you, whether you know it or not, God has got a risk in you. He’s trusting you for something, and if you don’t do it nobody will do it. I also want to say, to my mind it’s tragic that we expect so little of our teenagers. I really am embarrassed when I see teenagers being treated as children, entertained, amused. God didn’t entertain Mary. He made an expectation of her. I believe a lot of the evangelism of the future in the next decade, if there is one, will be carried out by teenagers.