Most of us remember the story of the little train from our childhood that said, “I think I can!” and climbed the hill. Ever so often, a real life demonstration of that principle comes to light. David Dewitt of United Wesleyan Church in Mt. Orab, Ohio cites a story by Brian Lawson (of ChristianityToday.com) that serves to illustrate this point well. Lawson’s own musings were gleaned form a TIME Magazine article by Leon Jaroff.
In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10… The satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere.
Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target.
But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter’s immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system.
At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun.
And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth."
The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.
Dr. Dewitt points out that this is how it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work mightily, even through someone who only has an “8-Watt Ability”. All God asks is that we be faithful and not quit.
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the famed Parable of the Talents. Not everyone can be a five-talent person. Nor can everyone be a two-talent person. In truth, most of us are only one-talent individuals at best. But that does not matter to God. All He asks is that we discover whatever talent (or spiritual gift) that He has given to us, and then faithfully put it (or them) to work for Him.
God can do much through the faithfulness of just one, amazing “8 Watt” Christian.
In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10… The satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere.
Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target.
But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter’s immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system.
At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun.
And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth."
The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.
Dr. Dewitt points out that this is how it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work mightily, even through someone who only has an “8-Watt Ability”. All God asks is that we be faithful and not quit.
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the famed Parable of the Talents. Not everyone can be a five-talent person. Nor can everyone be a two-talent person. In truth, most of us are only one-talent individuals at best. But that does not matter to God. All He asks is that we discover whatever talent (or spiritual gift) that He has given to us, and then faithfully put it (or them) to work for Him.
God can do much through the faithfulness of just one, amazing “8 Watt” Christian.