Thursday, December 07, 2006

He alone can satisfy

Right now I can safely say there are two things that frustrate me about me: When I want to say something but dont and then regret it. And when I then spend too much time thinking, often either about what i could say, or simply regretting my inability to express what I wanted to say when the time was right. Pointless and unhelpful, but felt nonetheless.

Thankfully, I can be comforted (as well as greatly humbled and challenged) by these wise words of the missionary Jim Elliot, read in the account of his life of service in Equador and the death that came for the sake of Christ, 'Through the Gates of Splendor'...

"Such hungering He alone can satisfy, yet Satan would delude and cast up all sorts of other baubles, social life, a name renowned, a position of importance, scholastic attainment. What are these, but the objects of the 'desire of the Gentiles' whose cravings are warped and perverted? Surely they can mean nothing to the soul who has seen the beauty of Jesus Christ... All is vanity below the sun and a 'striving after the wind'. Life is not here, but hid above with Christ in God, and therein I rejoice and sing as I think on such exaltation."

"There is no such thing as attainment in this life; as soon as one arrives at a long-coveted position he only jacks up his desire another notch or so and looks for higher achievement - a process which is ultimately suspended by the intervention of death."


There is just such truth in these words!

3 Comments:

At 5:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

jim elliot...his story shaped my spiritual birth, and continues to influence me more than any example outside the bible

thanks for sharing...great to know you also have discovered the treasure of this testimony-

 
At 3:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

thanks mandy, yeah its an amazing story hey!
I plan to post more from the book in the near future...

 
At 10:00 PM, Blogger Ray said...

Chelsea, couldn't agree with you more. I often wish I had said something in certain situations then regretted it. Then you think life's too short not to speak what you feel. I'm no expert at that. Watch It's A Wonderful Life, it will change you!

 

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