“One of the great blessings of heaven is the appreciation of heaven on earth. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot
On January 8, 1956 – 67 years ago – Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian were killed by the Waodani tribe on a Curaray River sandbar in Ecuador. The group had big dreams and great expectations: to reach the most violent unreached people group with the Good News of Jesus. They had studied Spanish and tribal languages, discovered a proper landing spot for their plane, devised numerous ways to build trust, and even had a few promising contacts. Yet, on that Sunday, their dreams and expectations were seemingly dashed as they were killed by the tribe they were attempting to reach.
However, the martyrdom of these five young missionaries is not a mistake or a tragedy. Their lives were not wasted, nor their legacies left wanting. On the contrary. Their deaths led to a heart transformation of a culture and a nation, fueling a missionary zeal not seen before in American history and never seen again since. Furthermore, the Waodani tribe now has a Bible in its own language and many of its people have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The expectations of these five young missionaries were eclipsed beyond even their wildest!
As we begin this year’s series through Ezra, Nehemiah, and the post-exilic prophets, let us remember that earthly expectations usually are excessive and eventually disappoint. They will include pain, loss, and a recurring sense of emptiness. In many ways, even the blessings in this world are to leave us longing for a greater reality – the treasure of Jesus and the joy of the world to come. May we appreciate – as Elliot put it – heaven even now, while on earth. It is only then that we can surrender that which we “cannot keep to gain that which we cannot lose.” Being heavenly minded is truly earthly good!
Consider another quote from Jim Elliot’s journal:
I hope we are like children still rejoicing in the awe and wonder of the love of God and His power. I hope we haven’t gotten over it like so many Christians seem to.
Our God keeps His promises. His plan is more glorious than our greatest expectations and more wonderful than our wildest dreams! He is loving and just. What the Father has in store for His children is not simply good, not even better, but best. Let us never get over it, let alone forget it. Great is His faithfulness!
Ezra 3:11 (ESV) – “And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”