Worthy of Joyfully Reckless Abandon

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." -Acts 20:24

In 1839 - over 1800 years after Christ gave the Great Commission to His disciples - John Williams and James Harris landed on the shores of Erromanga, as the first two Christian missionaries to the islands of the New Hebrides. Within mere minutes, they were killed and eaten by the savage natives they had come to win with the love of Jesus.

Nineteen years later, aflame with love for Christ and for the murderers of Williams and Harris, John Paton prepared to follow in their footsteps. A friend and well-respected elder, Mr. Dickson, begged Paton not to leave his exceedingly fruitful city ministry in order to almost certainly throw his life away needlessly. He pleaded with Paton, "The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!"

To this Paton calmly replied, "Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer."

Paton suffered horrible losses and endured constant dangers during his first four years in the New Hebrides. He was finally forced to flee, only to return to another island and continue his divinely appointed mission. Through it all, Christ was with Him - meeting with Him, strengthening Him, and ultimately, saving the entire population of the New Hebrides by the incomparable power of His Gospel.

Williams and Harris died horribly. Several others died with Paton. But through their lives and their deaths, thousands of savages were born again by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Genuine revival flooded Paton's home of Scotland. An unprecedented missionary movement was kindled. The world was changed, and is still being changed. God's glory is seen, loved, and given to still others.

Consider it carefully: What will your abandon to Christ cost you?

On the other hand, What will your self-preservation cost you? What will it cost the world?

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."
-John 12:24-26