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A Life Transformed
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
Ephesians 2:1–3
Billy Sunday’s father died during the Civil War, and he grew up in the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans Home. His amazing athletic ability provided him a lavish lifestyle as a professional baseball player in the 1880s. Known as only an average hitter, his amazing speed (he was the fastest player in the National League) made him an outstanding fielder and a feared baserunner. On a day off in Chicago, Sunday and some of his teammates watched as a group from the Pacific Garden Mission sang and preached. Sunday went to the mission where he heard the gospel and was saved.
His entire life was transformed. He gave up his drinking and gambling, and, in 1891, turned down a contract worth $3,100 per year for a job at the Rescue Mission paying less than $1,000 a year. Soon he went into full time evangelism and saw hundreds of thousands saved.
Many years later, a Chicago policeman walking his beat saw a man standing outside the Pacific Garden Mission. Not recognizing the famed preacher, he went up to ask what was going on. “My name is Billy Sunday,” the reply came, “and I was saved right inside here many years ago. If I am ever in town, I always come by and pray to thank God for saving a sinner like me.” We do nothing to earn or deserve salvation—we only accept it. But it transforms everything about our lives.
Ephesians 2:1–3
Billy Sunday’s father died during the Civil War, and he grew up in the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans Home. His amazing athletic ability provided him a lavish lifestyle as a professional baseball player in the 1880s. Known as only an average hitter, his amazing speed (he was the fastest player in the National League) made him an outstanding fielder and a feared baserunner. On a day off in Chicago, Sunday and some of his teammates watched as a group from the Pacific Garden Mission sang and preached. Sunday went to the mission where he heard the gospel and was saved.
His entire life was transformed. He gave up his drinking and gambling, and, in 1891, turned down a contract worth $3,100 per year for a job at the Rescue Mission paying less than $1,000 a year. Soon he went into full time evangelism and saw hundreds of thousands saved.
Many years later, a Chicago policeman walking his beat saw a man standing outside the Pacific Garden Mission. Not recognizing the famed preacher, he went up to ask what was going on. “My name is Billy Sunday,” the reply came, “and I was saved right inside here many years ago. If I am ever in town, I always come by and pray to thank God for saving a sinner like me.” We do nothing to earn or deserve salvation—we only accept it. But it transforms everything about our lives.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Never lose your sense of gratitude for the gift of God’s salvation that you received.
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