Giving What We Cannot Keep April 29, 2008
Posted by Anya in : I won't keep things purposely vague , trackbackWe watched Beyond the Gates of Splendor the other night. I highly recommend it. It’s a sort of documentary of the lives and deaths and work of five missionaries in Ecuador, of whom Jim Elliot is probably the best known. It has some fascinating interviews with the missionaries’ widows, friends, and those who killed them. (I had the privilege of meeting both Mincaye and Steve Saint — you’ll get to see both of them and learn about who they are if you watch Beyond the Gates.) There’s also a lot of actual footage, which is very cool.
That whole story is one which amazingly illustrates how a few people who will give up everything can be used by God to make huge differences. Differences which leave the world in a state of shocked awe, and can clearly have only been worked by God, “Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”. (Ephesians 3:20)
We have been seeing that in our devotions at home, where we’ve been studying the Old Testament. Even when Judah had fallen far from obedience to God, one faithful king — such as Hezekiah — brought about incredible change and reform.
So what will God do in our lives — with our lives — if we will be totally faithful to Him? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” What if we lived every moment asking, “What will glorify God the most?” (Incidentally, I’m sure that is what we were to learn from the Missionary Preparedness Test with its challenge of obeying our parents for a year — every time, immediately, exactly, and cheerfully.) Are we ready to obey God in everything which He asks of us, immediately, exactly, and cheerfully?
What if that means dying? Living to please Him, and then dying? To be honest, that scares me. I think it would be awesome, but it it still scares me. That’s okay, though. you can be scared in yourself and still trusting outside yourself at the same time.
And now for some thoughts from other heads…
Aaron Shust: “I will wait for Your plan to unfold… I know that I owe You my life… You watch over me/through the darkest valley… I love You more than life itself…” (various songs from Whispered and Shouted)
King David: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)
MercyMe: “And I pray that You will use my life/In whatever way Your name is glorified/Even if surrendering means leaving everything… behind.” (I Would Die For You, which was written about a young man who died as a result of a missions trip.)
Paul wrote, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain… this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison… I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Philippians 1:21, II Corinthians 4:17, Romans 8:18)
Jim Elliot wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
The words for the song The Prophecy, from the movie The Fellowship of the Ring, have struck me. “Hlasta! Qyetes Hfirimain…” “Listen! It speaks to those who were not born to die…”
That is who God has made us. Hfirimain. Those who were not born to die. Incredible word.
And at the same time, I was struck by the words from the song Suicide Note. “I had a dream last night…/…That maybe I was meant to die/For something that is greater than me… or all that I could be…”
This is also true. As Christians we are called to die. To ourselves and our sinful nature, which looks crazy, and, well, suicidal to the world (which is what Suicide Note is about), but as we die to ourselves, we come to live in Christ. To Christ.
It’s a central truth of Christianity. We live by death. Christ’s death for us. And God often uses the blood of His martyrs as the seed of His church.
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (I Corinthians 15:42-49)
I had a dream last night…
…That maybe I was meant to die
For something that is greater than me… or all that I could be…
Comments»
Beautiful post. That’s something that we were taught in WPaCO and tried to live up to - doing all for the glory of God. Living for Him.
You know, I think one of the saddest things in the world, heartbreaking really, is people who can find no reason to live. Everything inside of them is dead, and they have no hope for the future, no wish to live, they don’t care if they live or die. But for us, even if everything is taken away from us, have a reason to live. That is why the world marvels at persecuted Christians who endure so much suffering and yet are more joyful than many who have everything they could ever want. It is because of our reason to live that we can still praise God, still spread joy, even when we have nothing.
I had a dream last night…..
….That maybe I was meant to die
For something that is greater than me…. or all that I could be…..
Kind of reminds me of some more of that heartbreaking beauty.
Absolutely beautiful…You know, I was just reading in “Desiring God” about that line from the Westminister catechism…I don’t know if you’ve read it, but John Piper was saying that the line should read “The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.” It was very interesting and I’m really liking that book.
I suppose that if I could add to your “wisdom from other people” I’d contribute Rebecca St. James’ line from my favorite of her songs, (”Yes, I Believe In God,” written for Rachel Scott after she was shot at Columbine highschool for answering “yes” to the question, “Do you believe in God?”): “Whatever the cost/from this day on/until forever/I will take the narrow road/for I am not alone/I do not walk this road alone/…so through the fire/I’ll be refined/and if that fire/were to take this life I’d be with Him forever/I will be with Him forever/…You said ‘if any man comes after Me/he must deny himself and take his cross and follow after me’/so here I com after You, knowing when my life I lose/You give Yours in return/You give Your new life in return.” It’s an awesome song…one of my favorites. I was just thinking earlier how “living for Him” and “dying for Him” are essentially the same thing…
And yes, Madeline, I totally agree with you - maybe I’d say it is THE saddest thing that there are people like that. I know some of them and the word “empty” takes on a new meaning when I see people who are truly empty. I cannot think of any one thing that hurts me more than that.
“Hfirimain” - that’s thrilling! Thank you, Miss Language!
BTW, I finished “A Severe Mercy”!!!! Next time we IM, we can talk about it.
Seize The Day!
-StrongJoy
P.S. We had another campfire last night to burn some nasty locust trees on our property, and I had the guitar out there and played “All In All”…and thought about you