Jim Elliot

I'm been reading a biography of Jim Elliot all day. It's awesome. Lord is flooding me with insights.

"Jim realized that he had been depriving himself of some of the blessings which God had given him to enjoy richly"

"If he was going to enjoy life, he would enjoy it tremendously. Bible study and prayer, though still playing a major role in his daily routine , did not have to consume every spare moment".

Jim spent his first few years at Wheaton College so engrossed in the Bible and whatever else might prepare him for mission work, that he shunned most other college experiences. However, at one point he realized that austere attutide that he had adopted was inconsistent with our freedom in Christ.

I too can admit that until recently, I was very hestitant about any good thing that came my way. I was never reading Scripture enough, nor praying enough, nor studying Russian enough. By surrendering my life and all my future expectations to Christ, I too am enjoying this freedom. The television is back on, but it doesn't have control over me. When I'm bored I can easily turn it off now. My appetite has decreased dramatically, but I'm not counting calories. I'm enjoying my home, my job, and Whitton like never before. God has blessed me indeed!

"...he [Jim] came to realize that, in the long term, his real work would be to train Ecuadorians. Only Ecuadorians would be able to reach their own people and present the gospel. Whatever Jim did would only be a begining, a link to the real work. He had to look for ways to help Ecuadorian Christians share the truth with their fellow countrymen."

My eyes light up when I read these words. It reminds me of and confirms the excitement I felt about being able to support the Aleeyev's as native missionaries in Siberia. As much as I have a heart for Eastern Europe, I'm still privileged American. It would be naive of me to assume that I can completely understand and sympathis with the average Russian. I'm so glad that Jim was not so arrogant as to think that he was there to do something that the natives wouldn't eventaully take over.

"The clinic was the newest and the best of the buildings; having to tear it down so soon after its construction was heart-wrenching."

The most frustrating part of any mission work or ministry is when we feel like we're not accomplishing anything. Jim was often frustrated at the daily tasks, crisises and his lack of language skills that kept him from preaching the gospel. God knows the obstacles that any ministry will face long before we met them head on, they frustrate us, but not His plan. That's why we need to make the most of each task, crisis, or set-back. These are our only opportunities for ministry until the Lord makes His plan come to pass.

I've also learned a lot from Jim's steadfast desire to know the Lord's will in every situation. After graduating from college, Jim spends a couple of years at home, waiting on the Lord to direct him. During this time he does have different, if temporary, opportunities for ministries. Jim does not take these opportunities, fearing that they will distract him from his goal of foriegn missionary work. At one point he even recieves word of a position in Ecuador but still he waits on the Lord.

I can't judge Jim. Right, wrong or simply different, his desire was to serve the Lord as Jim felt that He was leading him. However, I would done things differently. I might have taken those temporary opportunities and I definitely would have inquired about the position in Ecuador right away. Because I've questioned what His will is at times, I've learned that His will is not that complicated. If I want to move, and he provides me the opportunity, I should go ahead and move. If want I to work at PC and He has them offer me the job, I should take it. If I want to change churches, if I feel lead somewhere else, I should make the change.

These are all decisions that I seriously struggled with in the last year. I was terrified of making a mistake. And yet these things have all worked out so well. But it's not because I made right decisions, it's because I wanted my choices to honor and serve the Lord. At least the last two, but the move has definitely been good for me and neccessary for other reasons. These things worked out because the Lord "causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him".

While it is important to seek God's will, I think we can spend too much time seeking His will and not enough time simply seeking Him. Most, if any of our decisions, are not destiny related. Christ has saved my soul and saved me from myself. If heaven is my final destination and the Lord my ultimate desire, I need not be so concerned about the particuliars of this earthly life. If the desires of my heart are not contrary to scripture, then perhaps these desire are closer to his will then I've ever imagined.