All of God's great men have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them; they counted on his faithfulness. J. Hudson Taylor
Alexander Mackay was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in October 13, 1849. He was a bright student who had the mind of an engineer and the heart of a missionary. While reading an Edinburgh newspaper in December 1875, he came across a letter from King M'tesa of Uganda welcoming "the practical Christian who can cure diseases, build dwellings and turn his hand to anything".
Three years later, Mackay found himself preaching before King M'tesa the message of John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ. He wrote in his diary: "The spirit of God seemed to be working. I never had such a blessed service."
Mackay found that his true service to the Lord would be constructing a 230-mile road from the African coast, through the dense jungles to Uganda's capital. With the king's blessing, Mackay worked for the next twelve years preparing a way for future missionaries to travel while translating Matthew into the Luganda language.
Near the end of his life, he wrote: Still I plod on, teaching, translating, printing, doctoring and carpentering. Praise God! St. Matthew's Gospel is now published complete in Luganda and rapidly being distributed.
Henry M. Stanley called Mackay the greatest missionary since Livingstone; he used his talents, passion and gifts for God in a full and satisfying manner. Stanley allowed the mighty River of God to flow in and through him to touch thousands of lives and left a legacy for future generations.
What is your “True service for God?” Is it engineering, sales, evangelism, preaching, writing, healing, translating materials into Russian, counseling, construction, medicine, hauling coal, giving Cokes away, nursing beggars in India or cleaning toilets? What will you write in your journal at the end of your life?
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