Make Your Talent Count: The Example of D. L. Moody "I have only one talent, but I want to do something for Jesus." - D. L. Moody Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) lacked the attributes associated with success in nineteenth-century America. He was born in the rural backwoods of New England, the sixth among nine children. The Moody family lived a single step ahead of their creditors. Tragedy struck the family when Dwight was four years old. His father returned home from his construction job in pain and fell to the floor dead. The creditors moved in quickly, taking everything that could be moved, leaving the Moody family with only the roof over their heads. Only the grit and determination of Moody's mother, coupled with her faith in God, kept the family together. Survival mattered more than education. Under such circumstances, Dwight Moody received limited education. He attended the one-room schoolhouse intermittently from age six to ten. He received at most four years of formal schooling. Yet Moody was ambitious, in spite of his lack of training. He moved to Boston to escape the rigors of rural life and to make his fortune. It was in Boston that 18-year-old Moody was brought to salvation through the efforts of his Sunday school teacher. Still restless and confined by Boston's traditions and class structure, Moody traveled west to the booming young city of Chicago. Two forces were working in Moody. One was the burning ambition to make a fortune to help his family escape from grinding poverty. He was a star shoe salesman, and he was beginning to deal in real estate. The other force was the life of Christ operating in the young disciple. He read the Bible, attended prayer meetings, and recruited young men off the Chicago streets to attend Sunday sermons. Yet deep within was the urge to do more for his Master. He expressed his feelings with these words: "I have got only one talent; I have no education, but I love the Lord Jesus, and I want to do something for Him" (Dorsett, 67). Employing His Single Talent Moody aspired to use his single talent in the Lord’s service, but how? The pulpits of nineteenth-century Christianity were reserved for ordained ministers with formal theological training. Their education far exceeded Moody's. Even Sunday school teachers had more than his minimal qualifications. Moody turned his attention to the most destitute of Chicago's urban poor. The street children of the Sands, a shantytown on the banks of Lake Michigan just north of the Chicago River, became the object of his labor. Sometimes called Little Hell, the area was populated by single-parent families and blighted by alcoholism, drug addiction, and their associated evils. Armed with God-given confidence, Moody entered an area into which few respectable residents ventured. Here Moody's lack of education and social graces went unnoticed. He employed his single talent and instinct to gather young people. Armed with treats and a "gospel pony," Moody attracted hundreds of children, eager to be rewarded with candy, a shining penny, or a pony ride. He rented an abandoned saloon, cleaned it up, and started a Sunday school. Moody's Children's Meetings All of Moody's ingenuity was required to maintain the attention of the undisciplined crowd. The proceedings rivaled a three-ring circus. Music was used to quiet the boisterous activities of this "sea of juvenile humanity." Five-minute talks were interspersed with "free time" with street children jumping, turning somersaults, fighting, whistling, and yelling. From this confusion they were occasionally rescued by Bible stories and singing. Gradually, however, Moody won the hearts and minds of the young people. Soon he had 300 regular attendees. A breakthrough in Moody's ministry came through tragedy. One of Moody's helpers in his children's work was diagnosed as terminally ill. Before his helper left Chicago, Moody accompanied him to visit members of his class at their homes. The pale and weakened teacher told each student, one by one, "I must leave Chicago. I'm going home to die. But before I leave, I want you to become a Christian." Hearing of their teacher's condition and his heart-felt desire that they receive the Savior, they responded with faith and prayer. Before the teacher left Chicago, the whole class had received Christ. Moody tasted the joy of leading souls to Christ. Gaining people for Christ was more satisfying than making a fortune. "God kindled a fire in my soul that has never gone out," Moody recalled. That episode marked the beginning of Moody's 40-year ministry as an evangelist. The more he used his talent, the more it multiplied. Gradually doors opened to a wider ministry in both Europe and North America. In an age before aircraft, TV, radio, and public address systems, Moody traveled more than a million miles, preached to over 100 million people, and personally rayed with 750,000 people. At his passing, a critical journalist acknowledged that Moody had "reduced the population of hell by one million souls" (Dorsett, 21). All this from a brother with only one talent! No doubt Dwight L. Moody's other abilities compensated for his lack of education. Yet the greatest lesson we learn from Moody's life is how much God can use a one-talented member. He was not frustrated by his lack of formal training and social advantages. He did not capitulate in the face of barriers to Christian service. Rather, Dwight Moody proclaimed, "I have one talent, and I want to do something for Christ!" By faith Moody sought to employ his single talent to "do business" (Luke 19:13) and to make a profit for the kingdom. He had confidence that "if God calls a man to a work, He will be with him in that work, and he will succeed no matter what the obstacles may be." May we do likewise. - Nigel Tomes Bibliography Dorsett, Lyle W. A Passion for Souls: The Life of D. L. Moody. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997.