THE STRUGGLE

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19–20

While looking for a movie for our missionary night in the children’s program, I came across The Torchlighters animated story of Jim Elliot. One of his most well-known quotes continues to challenge me: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” I often think about the moment I step into eternity. There will be many reasons God wipes away our tears, but I’m convinced some of mine will come from finally seeing clearly—when I understand how much time, effort, and energy I spent on things that didn’t matter. Jesus gave me one clear mission: take the gospel to the nations. To remember wasted time and no longer be able to redeem it—that’s a sobering thought. I will need God’s help with that… and He will give it. But for now, I’m grateful for Jim Elliot. Though I never knew him, his life points to a kind of alignment with eternal reality that few seem to reach while living in this world. We live in a culture that stores everything—literally. People pay again and again to monthly storage owners, just to hold onto things they don’t need, keeping them in boxes somewhere. That’s not how believers are meant to live! We are to travel light, with our eyes fixed on Christ. And when we do that, whatever actually accumulates doesn’t cost us monthly, it lasts for eternity.

Joe Ensley