“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot
I shared this quote as a part of the message I recently gave to a group of students. As I recounted the story of how Jim Elliot and his friends died in an effort to reach a tribe of Indians, you could have heard a pin drop.
Why was Jim Elliot willing not only to minister to the Auca Indians in the jungle of Ecuador but also to give his life to reach them?
On paper Jim’s life looks like he didn’t accomplish much. He was only a missionary for a short time before he was killed. It would seem like the mission failed.
But if you know the rest of the story then you know, that Jim and his friends planted seeds that would eventually lead to a mighty harvest.
Years later the families of these men would travel back to the jungle to continue the mission. The tribe including the man who killed Jim and his friends would go on to become followers of Christ.
Jim understood that his life was not his own and ultimately he wasn’t in charge of what would happen to him. He knew God had a plan greater than he could even imagine and gladly submitted to it no matter the cost.
It really puts things into perspective.
I mean, I am nervous about telling my neighbors about Jesus because they might not like me anymore…