A Man of God

Go all out for God and He will go all out for you.

~ Jonathan Goforth

The following rules for daily living were made by Dr. Goforth in 1894 and written on the fly-leaf of his Bible:

Seek to give much -- expect nothing.

Put the very best construction on the actions of others.

Never let a day pass without at least a quarter of an hour spent in the study of the Bible.

Never omit daily morning and evening private prayer and devotion.

In all things seek to know God's Will and when known obey at any cost.

Seek to cultivate a quiet prayerful spirit.

Seek each day to do or say something to further Christianity among the people around you.

That Dr. Goforth lived up to these rules there is not the least doubt. He surpassed them. His love for the Bible is well known. His Bible was always open and he took every opportunity to read it. Even after becoming blind, he had a Chinese man read to him at least twelve chapters a day. His loyalty to the Bible as the Word of God and his defense of the fundamentals of the Faith have been outstanding in his career.

He was a man of prayer and through prayer and Bible study has sought to know God's Will. It was this love for Bible reading and communion with God that gave him the power to move audiences to a conviction of sin and repentance. At all times he kept "self" in the background and relied wholly on the power of the Holy Spirit to take of the things of Jesus and reveal them unto his hearers.

'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit' -- 'But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you' -- have ever been his battle-cry. Though Dr. Goforth's preaching contained a stern denunciation of sin and would in no case tolerate compromise with sin, he has always been very tender in dealing with sinners.

While the Goforths were attending a summer conference, south of Chicago, it was announced that a "brilliant speaker" was to come on a certain day for just one address. A very large expectant audience awaited him. The chairman introduced the speaker with such fulsome praise there seemed no room for the glory of God in what was to follow. The stranger had been sitting with bowed head and face hidden. As he stepped forward he stood a moment as if in prayer, then said:

"Friends, when I listen to such words as we have just been hearing I have to remind myself of the woodpecker story:

A certain woodpecker flew up to the top of a high pine tree and gave three hard pecks on the side of the tree as woodpeckers are wont to do. At that instant a bolt of lightening struck the tree leaving it on the ground, a heep of splinters. The woodpecker had flown to a tree near by where it clung in terror and amazement at what had taken place.

There it hung expecting more to follow, but as all remained quiet it began to chuckle to itself saying, 'Well, well, well! who would have imagined that just three pecks of my beak could have such power as that!'"

When the laughter this story caused ceased, the speaker went on, "Yes, friends, I too laughed when I first heard this story. But remember, if you or I take glory to ourselves which belongs only to Almighty God, we are not only as foolish as this woodpecker, but we commit a very grievious sin for the LORD hath said, 'My glory will I not give to another.'"

Many times Jonathan Goforth on returning from a meeting would greet his wife with, "Well, I've had to remind myself of the woodpecker tonight," or, "I've needed half a dozen woodpeckers to keep me in place."

Early in life he chose for his motto, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the LORD" (Zech. 4:6).

~ 'Goforth of China' by Mrs. Rosalind Goforth