Every generation requires true men of God who carry on the work of the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit.   An entry in the journal of Henry Martyn reads, “Let me be taught that the first great business on earth is the sanctification of my own soul.”  George Muller said, “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

The first realization of ministry must be that we do not have the needed resources apart from a daily, vital relationship with Jesus Christ.  David Livingstone wrote, near the end of his life, of his relationship with the Lord:

“He is the greatest master I have ever known.  If there is anyone greater, I do not know him.  Jesus Christ is the only master supremely worth serving.  He is the only ideal that never loses its inspiration.  He is the only friend whose friendship meets every demand.  He is the only Savior who can save to the uttermost.  We go forth in His name, in His power, and in His Spirit to serve Him.”

Some things never change.  The development of and dependence on a personal walk with God is indispensable.  The words of Thomas Carlyle in a bygone century still ring true: “What this country needs is a man who knows God other than by hearsay.”  I want to be one of those men.  The greatest need of our nation is the greatest need of my life: to truly know God.