Dwight And The Rest Of The Story

Edward Kimball, the little-known 19th century Boston Sunday School teacher, who played a large part in our family's spiritual heritage

Dwight And The Rest Of The Story

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”

Dear Kids,

Edward Kimball, the little-known 19th century Boston Sunday School teacher, who played a large part in our family's spiritual heritage

Edward Kimball, the little-known 19th century Boston Sunday School teacher, who played a large part in our family’s spiritual heritage

It is easy to feel insignificant in such a huge world. We may have desires to do great things for God, but wonder how we can when we are unknown or seem to possess so little. But God is not looking for many mighty or noble persons. His eyes are searching to and fro throughout the earth for those who possess willing and obedient hearts. He has chosen the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, and, someday when we get to heaven we will find out, as Paul Harvey used to put it, “the rest of the story!”

Edward Kimball was no one in particular. He lived in Boston in the mid 1800s and attended the Mount Vernon Congregational Church where he was committed to teaching a Bible class for young men. One particular Sunday an obviously poor and uneducated boy joined the class. This “greenhorn from the country,” as the other teasing students dubbed him, did not know much about the Bible and struggled to find the passages they were studying.

Mr. Kimball reprimanded the proud scoffers and kindly shared his own Bible with the new student. From that moment on Dwight determined that he would stay in the class and learn what he could. For a whole year Dwight attended the lessons and a friendship grew between him and his teacher. Yet something was still missing. Dwight couldn’t bring himself to surrender to the God Whom Mr. Kimball trusted. He wanted to continue to steer his own ship.

On April 21, 1855, God encouraged Mr. Edward Kimball to make a special effort to speak to Dwight about his soul. The Sunday School teacher started downtown to the shoe store where Dwight was employed. As he approached the shop, Mr. Kimball began to get cold feet and wondered if God was really asking him to do this. He thought of reasons why he should wait until a more convenient time, and while he was pondering what to do he passed right by Dwight’s place of employment. The conviction persisted so he quickly returned, went inside, and found the young man in the back of the store putting shoes on the shelves.

With tears in his eyes, Mr. Kimball put his hand on Dwight’s shoulder and told him about the Savior, Jesus Christ. At that moment God touched Dwight’s heart and he responded by giving his life over to Christ. A simple act of obedience by an ordinary man changed his young student forever.

You may think you are insignificant in this big world. But God uses the weak and foolish to accomplish great things for His kingdom.

Dwight L. Moody’s life was transformed when one insignificant man chose to obey God’s promptings and share the gospel with a young, headstrong, uneducated boy. In 1872 Mr. Moody, who went on to be a world renowned evangelist, conducted some cottage meetings near Balnagoak, Methlick, Scotland. At one of those meetings William & Jesse Thomson, your ancestors, heard the gospel and received Christ as their savior. They faithfully passed the message down to their children, who also received the message and passed it to their children and grandchildren. And today you children, William & Jesse’s great-great-great grandchildren, are members of the family of God in part because of Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball’s faithfulness to God.

And now you know . . . “the rest of the story.”

Love,

Mama

 

 

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Hi, I'm Sandy! 

I write inspirational letters based on the Bible that share words of hope, encouragement, truth, and healing to my children and anyone else who longs for a mama's touch.

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