“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)
When I first came to know Christ as a teenager I remember having a desire to know God. Every time the church doors were open I was there hearing the teaching, worshiping, and living life with folks. During a Sunday morning service a group came to minister. They sang songs, shared their stories of how they gave their lives to Jesus, and how He took them from lives of drugs, alcohol, violence and turned them around. Their hearts were sincere and their stories moving. I learned that this ministry to young people was called Teen Challenge and it had been started by a man named Dave Wilkerson. Pastor Wilkerson was the pastor of a small church in Scottsdale and Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. One day he saw a photograph in a Life Magazine of seven New York City teenagers charged with murder. He was moved by compassion. He and his family moved to New York City and started a ministry to addicts and gangs. The program grew and was known to have a 90% success rate by community organizations. The stories of what God has done through this simple act of obedience are countless. Teen Challenge even became an international outreach within the global community. Abram wasn’t sure what he was getting into when he packed up his family and left his country. All he had was faith and a promise. His obedience in light of uncertainty brought blessings beyond his understanding and touched countless lives. David Wilkerson, a country pastor of a small church, didn’t know the big picture of all that God would do, but he had faith and a promise. His obedience to do what the Lord asked him to do opened the doors of blessings in his life and that of his family. The rippling effect of his act of faith is still felt today as the ministry of Teen Challenge continues to grow. We all think we are insignificant at times, in comparison to the great ministers of our time. We may wonder what do I have to offer? Take heart because God has a dream for you, a dream of how you can touch your community daily. All he asks is that you spend time getting to know him in prayer and His Word. Put your faith in Him today and follow his lead. Father God in Jesus name I ask you to help me dream and use me to touch my community today.” Amen. -DR
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