“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’“

— Mark 16:15

One of my great heroes of the past is William Carey (1761-1834) of England. I trust that every Christian knows who he was. Carey was a poor uneducated man who did nothing but fix shoes, and yet he had a dream. On the wall in front of him in his shop he had placed a map—a map of the world. He sat there fixing soles, but dreamt of fixing souls in lands where the Gospel was not known.

Carey was laughed at. He was told to shut up and sit down, but he wouldn’t do it because there was a dream. And so he set out on a long trip to India. He launched something 200 years ago called “The World Missionary Movement.” To take the words of Winston Churchill and apply them much more accurately, we can most certainly say that “never did so many owe so much to so few.” With so little support and help, missionaries have done the greatest work in the history of the world. Today, 200 years later, the work William Carey dreamt of has been started and planted in virtually every nation on earth because he had a dream and with God’s help, he fulfilled it.

Carey learned a number of languages. He wrote a dictionary in English and the Indian language of Bengali. He translated the Bible into numerous different languages. He became a scholar. He let God use him fully for the Gospel. May God help all of us to fulfill the task He has for us, one that helps spread His eternal kingdom.

God, Giver of dreams, give me dreams and visions for You. Let me fulfill the dreams You have planted in my heart. Thank You for the ones that have already been fulfilled…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN
FULFILL THE DREAMS HE GIVES US.