Bible Text: Daniel 6:26 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living |
For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. Daniel 6:26
“Nothing in all the world is as powerful as an idea whose time has come,” so wrote Victor Hugo more than a century ago. I wonder what the great thinker would have written, had he lived until the twenty-first century.
The power of an idea rivals that of marching armies and thundering canons. Violent demonstrations and angry crowds rarely change anything, but an idea grows like leaven which eventually fills the entire world. Twice Paul talked about a little bit of yeast leavening the entire batch of dough.
I don’t know whether Victor Hugo had an Englishman by the name of William Wilberforce in mind when he pondered the power of an idea, but he well could have. And who was Wilberforce? He was born into a moneyed family and grew up with the benefit of education and culture, but the turning point of his life came when he was touring Europe with a friend. Seeing a book in his luggage entitled, A Serious Call To a Devout and Holy Life, Wilberforce asked the obvious: “What is this?” “One of the best books ever written,” replied his comrade. The two of them began reading the book together, and the impact of that little book written by William Law changed the direction of his life. It was his turning point.
Following his conversion to Jesus Christ, Wilberforce began searching for a purpose in life. He was not long in discovering one. Being challenged to confront the horrors of slavery, Wilberforce, who then had been elected to Parliament, began to speak against human bondage. He was young, rich, and generally ignored, but little did his opponents know the power of the idea which had been born in the heart of this man.
He began what became a lifelong battle and pursuit. In 1788 before Parliament he proposed the absolution of slavery and introduced an anti-slavery motion. It was defeated. For the next 18 years, he introduced a motion every single year. All of them were defeated. All of them, that is, until March 25, 1806, and then the first anti-slavery bill was passed.
The final defeat of slavery in the British Empire came about the time of his death in July, 1833, and though it took nearly a century for the rest of the world to acknowledge that no man has the right to deprive another of his freedom, the millions of men and women who gained their independence can thank William Wilberforce.
But then should no credit be given to the man who wrote the book which gripped Wilberforce’s heart, leading to his conversion? William Law, the author, had been forbidden to preach since he was out of sync with the royalty in his day, and talking up his pen, he wrote powerful words which changed the direction of Wilberforce’s life.
So where are we today? Remember, a little bit of leaven leavens the entire lump? Leaven or yeast is generally unnoticed until slowly the loaf begins to rise, and eventually transforms the entire mass.
When Jesus Christ came, He never incited the mobs to demonstrate against Rome, or suggested that like terrorists they strike in the dark, eliminating their enemies one at a time. He lived a life of love and commitment and gave Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and what He did became the leaven that transformed the entire world.
Interested in changing the world? Be leaven in the hand of God. Start in your neighborhood, your workplace, your school, your village or barrio. Remember, a little leaven in the hand of a mighty God moves mountains. Wilberforce learned that and so can you.
Resource reading: Galatians 5:1-10
