Willing

The Olympic Games were just over a year away for a young college student. He was a sprinter and a rugby player who was already making headlines. It was conjecture at this point if he would be named to the Olympic sprint team. But the Olympics were not the only thing weighing on his mind.

One thing he knew for sure. As he pondered his future, he wanted to serve Christ with whatever gifts he had been given. But he had no idea how his athletic ability could be used for the kingdom of God. He thought to himself that he seemed to possess so few of the skills necessary for Christian ministry. He was not an orator. He dreaded even the thought of speaking in public.

One evening, he decided to tell the Lord that he wanted to serve Him. Whatever the Master asked, he settled in his heart that he would do it. In his room, Eric Liddell knelt and said a simple prayer.

Not long afterwards, D.P. Thomson, of the Glasgow Students' Evangelistic Union (GSEU) asked Eric to come and speak to a group of men at Armadale, a coal mining town. Thomson and his friends were trying to reach the young men there for Christ but these men  preferred to be at the pub rather than any church. Eric had already surrendered to his Master, so he took a giant leap of faith and said, "All right, I'll do it."

And thus were the beginnings of a new chapter for young Eric Liddell, the soon-to-be 1924 Olympic champion, yielded to the Master, shy but willing to speak publically of Him if He so desired. Nearly 80 tough coal miners from Armadale came to hear Eric, one of the most popular athletes in Scotland, and more seeds of the gospel were planted that day (from Eric Liddell: Pure Gold by Dave McCasland).

Luke 9:23-24 says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." A willing, yielded heart is the Master's glory and tool. Is my heart so yielded today?