"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:17).

In the course of our New England trip we visited the tiny village of Northfield, MA, where D.L. Moody was born and is buried beside his wife. Brooksyne, Ester and I visited his burial place where I offered a brief prayer of thanks for his Christian service and renewed our commitment to the work of Christ in our generation. We were moved by the brief Scripture reference on his tombstone that read, "He that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

D.L. Moody was a prominent evangelist during the 1800's who committed his life to Christ while working in Boston in 1855. A small plaque we featured yesterday is still posted on the outside of a building where the shoe store was located at that time. I often seek it out when I'm in Boston and frankly expect that it will one day be removed. His ministry in his generation is similar to that of Billy Graham in our own although, with modern travel and technology, Billy Graham's has had a more wide spread impact. In addition Billy Graham has lived 30 years more than Moody (and still going, now with a brand new book at age 93)!

The inscription on his tombstone is from the latter portion of today's Scripture verse. This truth is greatly needed and a reminder we must ever keep before us. The NASV states, "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

D.L. Moody passed from this earth in 1899 but he now lives forever in the presence of God. He surely did the will of God and impacted many for Christ during his lifetime. His spiritual influence continues through the ministry of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and its many affiliated ministries. Many of us can attribute much spiritual growth over the years due to the Christian radio programs that are an outreach of MBI. His impact continues through the third and fourth generations and beyond of people who are committed to the teachings of Jesus. I have been influenced by someone in this lasting stream of spiritual impact and most likely you have been as well. 

He had written before his death, "Someday you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead.  Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal; a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1855. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever."

We see with spiritual eyes that the world and its desires are passing away. We must keep this eternal perspective before us, "The one who does the will of God lives forever."  Today may our earnest prayer be: "Thy will be done in my life, O Lord."


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, I thank You for D.L. Moody and for countless others who've answered Your calling in their lives. They chose to do Your will and because of their obedience our lives have been spiritually enriched. Above all, I thank You for Jesus who chose to do Your will; who left the sinless portals of heaven to make His home among us so that we might see You clothed in flesh.  We want to hold loosely to this temporal passing world and direct our affections toward the eternal dwelling place as we seek to be among those who choose to do the will of the Lord and abide forever. Amen.

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