Samuel Kaboo Morris (1873 - May 12, 1893)

Spirit & Life Devotional
Thursday, 5 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Samuel Kaboo Morris (1873 – May 12, 1893)

"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." Psalms 90:12 NLT

The Message Bible Translation says, "Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!"

Today is my 32nd birthday; and I want to share the story of Samuel Morris, one of my greatest inspirations.

Samuel Kaboo Morris was a Liberian prince who converted to Christianity around the age of 14. Around age 18, he left Liberia for the United States to achieve an education and arrived at Taylor University in December 1891.

On his first night in America, he led nearly twenty men to Christ. While at Taylor University, Samuel was used by God mightily to draw people to the Lord. Students would stop by his dorm room to pray with him. People from around the world would come to hear him speak and to have him pray for them. He was known (and heard) to spend hours in prayer with God, from late at night to early in the morning. He inspired others to look at their relationship with God. Newspapers printed stories of the boy from Africa who was charging Fort Wayne with the electric power of God. 

On May 12, 1893, at approximately 20 years of age, Samuel Morris, aka Prince Kaboo, died. Fellow students served as pallbearers at his funeral. Morris's life has been the subject of five novels, over a dozen biographies, a 1954 film, and a 1988 documentary. Taylor University has named numerous buildings, scholarships, and a society in his honor. His story helped to inspire other people to go to Africa to preach the gospel.

How old are you and how have you spent your years? Samuel Morris spent only 2 years in America and 20 years on earth, yet you can see how much impact his life had on the world. Psalm 39:4 says, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” May we make the most of our time here on earth in Jesus name.

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