What a man. I've known about Jim Elliot for years, and I knew his story. Only very recently, though, did I start to read more about him. His wisdom and heart for God is inspiring and very challenging...here are a few excerpts from his journals:
(Now I'm not one of those who go all-out for quotes. I always get so frustrated at reading quote books. So many words people [who think themselves to be very wise] write for the very purpose of showing their 'wisdom'. But that's just me, maybe. You may disagree. Anyway...:)
Jim Elliot's wisdom is, to me, different. Almost every new quote I would read seemed to be so refreshing and profound. So here are some of the ones that impressed me the most:
"Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God."
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...
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"Wherever you are - be all there."
"Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."
(This seemed to go perfectly with my first post, "Both to be Full and to be Hungry," what God has been showing me over the past few weeks. If you haven't read it, now would be a great time. ;) Moving on.)
"It makes me boil when I think of the power we profess and the utter impotency of our action. Believers who know one-tenth as much as we do are doing one-hundred times more for God, with His blessing and our criticism. Oh if I could write it, preach it, say it, paint it, anything at all, if only God's power would become known among us."
"Surely those who know the great passionate heart of Jehovah must deny their own loves to share in the expression of His. Consider the call from the Throne above, "Go ye," and from round about, "Come over and help us," and even the call from the damned souls below, "Send Lazarus to my brothers, that they come not to this place." Impelled, then, by these voices, I dare not stay home while Quichuas perish. So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring? They have the Scriptures, Moses, and the Prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers. American believers have sold their lives to the service of Mammon, and God has His rightful way of dealing with those who succumb to the spirit of Laodicea."
His urgency is so amazing, and incredibly challenging.
Elliot's dedication and love for God brought Him to the Quechuas, and then the Waodani of Ecuador. Before he and his four friends were killed by Waodani spears, he wrote this:
"If we are the sheep of His pasture, remember that sheep are headed for the altar."
His life and death resulted in the unreached Waodani tribe being reached by the life changing good news of Christ. What a life.
God bless you all!
-Zachary
Great post. Jim Elliot's life (and the 4 others who were martyred with him) have impacted eternity in thousands of ways.
ReplyDeleteI was privileged to know Jim when I was a small child (I lived in his home with him). His whole family were Godly people.
Your choice of a lesser known quote, "Forgive me for..." is one of my favorites.
It was my recent great privilege to transcribe some of his actual recordings.
May God bless you and your ministry for Him.