Meditate: Acts 2:47

Ever heard of George Leile?

There’s a guy who knew something about praising God. See, I don’t know about you but sometimes I can let my circumstances determine how much I feel I have to praise God about. I think “This is just too much.” But not George.

George Leile was born a slave in Virginia in 1750.  As a young man, he was sold to a man in Georgia and in 1773, he became a Christian. Almost at once he began to preach and had a great ministry to his fellow slaves.

His “owner” saw what God was doing and gave him liberty to go from plantation to plantation taking the Gospel to the slaves. Eventually, he was ordained and in 1777 he became the founding pastor of the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, the oldest Black church in North America. The church is still going, by the way.

But his story doesn’t end there.

In 1783 as the war was ending, (read this carefully) Rev. Leile sold himself back into slavery (indentured service, in this case) in order to travel to Jamaica and preach and plant churches and build schools there.

By the time the first British missionary showed up, he had been there 31 years! Today over 300 churches with over 40,000 members have grown out of his work.

Praise God!

• Do my circumstances determine my praise for God?
• What am I willing to do to obey God’s calling?

Pray:
Praise: You know the end from the beginning and You’re always working for the good of those who love You.
Confess: My own past suggests I’d have just become bitter and angry in Rev. Leile’s circumstances instead of responding in faith.
Thank: You fulfill Your purpose for me and save me.
Ask: Help me to focus on You and look beyond my circumstances.

Digging Deeper: Psalm 138