Jim Elliot – To Exhibit the Value of Knowing God

Jim Elliot – To Exhibit the Value of Knowing God
Born October 8th, 1927 in Portland, Oregon Died January 8th 1956 at “Palm Beach” in the Ecuadorian Rainforest

Lord make my way prosperous, not that I achieve high station, but that my life may be an exhibit to the value of knowing God.

Such was the prayer of one twenty year old named Jim. As I read about the life of Jim Elliot I searched for a title for this biography which would be appropriate to describe the man I have observed. It would have been easy to select the Elliot quote for which he has become most famous: “He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Yet that seemed an encouragement to others rather than a description of what I saw in this man. What I did see was value in a life, the great value of knowing and loving the God of the Bible. The value of knowing God was indeed fully on display in the life of Jim Elliot. So I have entitled this biography “Jim Elliot – To Exhibit the Value of Knowing God.” So it is now my prayer that the fire of the value of knowing God would be stoked hot in our own lives. To this end let us now look at the life of a man who lived and died just over fifty years ago. To read the rest, the full paper can be found here: Jim Elliot – To Exhibit the Value of Knowing God ...

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Living with Jim...

I am extremely immersed today in the biography and journals of Jim Elliot. I'll have a paper on his life posted here soon. Keep a look out for that in the next few days. I made the decision early in the fall to go ahead with Elliot this year in writing a missionary biography. I went back and forth on it because I knew the movie End of the Spear would be out. I think it was the right choice for no other reason that God has used the movie, the books I have read, and the documentary to greatly bless and encourage me in these days. The journals have been very refreshing as they show the who angle of a man. The struggle as well as the conviction, the passion as well as the days of listlessness. Overall, it has been a great experience brought to my life in the proper time. Today I am marveling at how God led a man over time, through some years of certainty of call, but uncertainty of specific details. I can never get a broad view of my own life as I live it day by day, but seeing anothers life events from a broad perspective, able to see the years weave together, is a special gift. To quote John Piper "Brothers, Read Christian Biography" Brothers we are not Professionals, page 89. Elliot knew a sovereign God, who gave enough detail for today. A quick quote and then back to the writing the biography.

To dream, and want and pray, almost savagely; then to commit and wait and see Him quietly pile all dreams aside and replace them with what we could not dream, the realized Will [of God]

Jim has me swimming in good waters today ...

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Historia ecclesiastica: JOHN BUNYAN: A SOURCE FOR A BAPTIST SPIRITUALITY OF PRAYER

Michael Haykin has an excellent post on the history of rejecting pre written prayers over at Historia Ecclesiastica. As one who thinks paryer should be spiritual and not formulaic and predictable AND one who loves to write and read and pray pre-written prayers I found this to be a fun read. I say:

1. Pray as the Spirit leads - spontaneous and free
2. But also write prayers as the Spirit leads and share them with others for their prayer, encouragment, and to build up someone else.
3. Read written prayers from history - then pray fired up, by the Spirit, in the now :)

Here is the Link - JOHN BUNYAN: A SOURCE FOR A BAPTIST SPIRITUALITY OF PRAYER Also, I am starting to like John Bunyan quite a bit... ...

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Does the Date of Christmas Have Its Origin in Paganism?

Very good post over at Theologica - please read this. This is very helpful Link Between Two Worlds: Does the Date of Christmas Have Its Origin in Paganism?

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Amy Carmichael - To Live Our Songs

I just completed a short biographical sketch of Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur. It is entitled Amy Carmichael - To Live Our Songs The title came from a short but heart-impacting, soul-stirring, Christ-satisfied quote I ran into from this woman of faith.

Life can be difficult. Sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood. But then is the time to prove our faith and live our songs.

Amy Carmichael, Candles in the Dark (Philadelphia, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1982) 51.

Humbled by a life well lived...

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A Blast From The Past - Or A Blog From the Past

An interesting blog which is logging the diary entries of David Brainerd, missionary to the Native American Tribes Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. This blog is dropping in his diary entries from the year 1745 - very cool See David Brainerd's Blog David Brainerd was made known to the world primarily through the biography written about his life by the late Jonathan Edwards. John Piper's Biographical Sketch of Brainerd is worthy of a few of your minutes...while you are there you might as well check out the one on Edwards as well - smile. Out

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To Live Upon God

John Bunyan, the English preacher and author from the 17th century, has much to say to us today. A man who suffered great persecution under a crackdown following the Act of Uniformity spent a great period of his life in prison for the gospel. In the later version of his autobiographical work, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, commenting upon 2 Corinthians 2:9 he says this By this scripture I was made to see that if ever I would suffer rightly, I must first pass a sentence of death upon every thing that can be properly called a thing of this life, even to reckon myself, my wife, my children, my health, my enjoyment, and all, as dead to me, and myself as dead to them. The second was, to live upon God that is invisible, as Paul said in another place; the way not to faint, is to "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." I struggle with what it means to daily "Live upon God that is invisible" - when I think of the things I do live upon, I shudder:

• Food - sometimes too much of it
• Stuff - always too much of it
• Friends
• Family
• Opinions - or "counsel" from others
• Reputation
• Success

The list could get longer... How do we know if we truly are living upon the Lord - with him as our strength, our portion, our song, and our greatest treasure? Such is a hard question. It helps if I examine my affections - the things that I truly love. How do I love the gifts of God. Do I love the gift, or the giver. The Lord, I believe, helps us answer through various trials, persucutions, and sufferings. He at times will remove the objects of our love so that we might see that it had become an idol. Looking at the life of John Bunyan, whom the Lord allowed to suffer, who learned to live upon God who is invisible.

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Men Of Whom the World is Not Worthy...

I have been loving listening and reading to some biographical sketches done by John Piper on some great men of faith who have gone before us. The manuscripts for the messages are found on Desiring God Ministries web site. The manuscripts are usually well footnoted and a treasure of great quotes...for any quote junkies out there, highly recommended.

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