Have you ever heard of Francis Asbury? He was one of the first two Methodist Bishops in America, sent to this country by Rev. John Wesley in the late 1700's.
Asbury once said, “I am willing to travel and preach as long as I live; and I hope I shall not live long after I am unable to travel . . . live or die, I must ride.”
In fact, Francis Asbury rode over 6,000 miles a year on horseback. He visited churches and pastors all over this country. Under his leadership, the Methodist Church in America grew from a few hundred members to over 214,000.
Francis Asbury was quite a man. He preached against slavery long before the Civil War started. He was the founder of five colleges. A lifelong bachelor, he devoted his life to preaching the Gospel. Asbury was very well known throughout this country. Over 40,000 people attended his funeral.
But something that many people do not realize is that Francis Asbury prayed for two hours every day. In spite of that, he once said, amazingly, that his biggest regret was not spending enough time in prayer.
Asbury wrote: “My desire is to live more to God today than yesterday, and to be more holy this day than the last.” I thank God today for devoted believers of the past like Francis Asbury who continue to inspire us!