The Power of God-given Ideas 2

'... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you...' Genesis 28:14

One God-given idea can change so much. Braille sure did! In 1824, Louis Braille, a Christian, invented a system of raised dots on paper so that blind people could read. He invented 63 symbols representing every language, hence God's Word was placed into the hands of the visually impaired for the first time. And communications? In part, you owe your mobile phone and your computer to a Christian named Samuel Morse. How different the world was before him! First-class news took two weeks to reach the USA. And reports of a major victory could take six weeks to reach Britain. One day a friend said, 'Morse, when you were experimenting did you ever come to an absolute deadlock, not knowing what to do?' Morse replied, 'More than once.' His friend asked, 'What did you do then?' Morse shared a secret, 'I got down on my knees and prayed for light, and light came, and when my inventions were acknowledged by flattering honors from America and Europe, I said, "Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto Thy name give the glory."' That's why the first message sent by transatlantic cable read, 'What God has wrought.' Now add another Christian named Louis Pasteur, the French scientist who showed us that infection is the result of things we cannot see, namely germs and viruses. He introduced sterilization methods that eventually saved the lives of multitudes. Think God has run out of good ideas? Not a chance! Ask Him for one for your life, your ministry or your business!

Originally written by Bob Gass

The Power of God-given Ideas 1

'... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you...' Genesis 28:14

Good ideas come from God, so ask Him for one. The world's been blessed by those who did. Consider anesthesia: how would you like to be operated on without it? That is the way they did it until a Scottish doctor named James Young Simpson introduced something he called 'artificial sleep'. As a student at Edinburgh University he was attracted to surgery because he was troubled by the pain and mortality rate experienced during operations. As a result of reading 'And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam...' (Genesis 2:21 NKJV), Simpson thought chloroform might be the answer. He first experimented on himself. Finally, in 1847, the first three operations with chloroform took place. One of the patients, a young soldier, enjoyed it so much that he seized the sponge and inhaled again. 'It was just too good to be stopped,' he said. At first Simpson encountered opposition. Some thought it was a sin to interfere with nature. 'Hand me the Bible,' said Dr Simpson. 'This is how God operated on Adam.' Simpson made speeches, wrote letters and pamphlets and tried to convince those who opposed him that this was the way forward. In a setback, when three deaths attributed to chloroform were reported from other hospitals, Simpson was able to show them that they were not applying the anesthesia correctly. The tide turned when Queen Victoria gave birth to her eighth child under chloroform and declared that she was 'greatly pleased with its effect'. Today ask God to give you an idea that blesses others. Then act on it!

Originally written by Bob Gass