To All the Earth

When only twenty-one years old, Daniel Gooch became the locomotive superintendent of England’s Great Western Railroad. Born on this day in 1816 in northeastern England, he designed more than 300 locomotives, most capable of traveling at record speeds.

But he resigned in 1864 to concentrate on developing telegraph communications. Of particular interest was the potential of laying communications cables on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

It was a big challenge. Others had failed to accomplish this task. Gooch realized the complexity one day in 1865 as he watched as a cable broke and sank into the ocean after 1,200 miles of cable had been laid. But Gooch and his son Charles persevered and eventually laid the first Atlantic cable from the steamship “The Great Eastern.”

This cable revolutionized worldwide communications. Today, transatlantic cables transmit communications from around the world. In fact, Inspiration Ministries has used these cables to bring Christian programming to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and throughout the world.

We live in a time when miracles of technology enable us to reach people throughout the world. Our task as Christians is to give of our time, talent, and treasure to see that the Gospel is proclaimed, and the Lost have an opportunity to hear the message of salvation. Truly the doors are open, but the obstacles are many and more must be done.

Today, commit yourself to God and His Kingdom. Ask Him to show you what role He wants you to play to support the work of evangelism. Ask Him to give you a burden for those people in your family, work, and community who need Jesus. Pray for them, and share the Good News! And give of your time, talent, and treasure that others might be saved.