Friday, July 31, 2009

I can't help it. I'm their dad.







Here are three things that I am profoundly greatful for.






Are You Doing God's "Will" Right Now?

Most of the time when we think about God's will our aim is to find the answer to some confusing question. Should I marry this person? Should I go to this school? Should I change jobs? Should I join a ministry? On and on the questions go.

While it is certainly good to seek the mind of God in these areas, we sometimes miss the obvious. That is, we have certain places in Scripture that make God's will absolutely clear. Take 1 Thessalonians 5:18, for example. "[G]ive thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." You do not have to guess at it; you do not have to wonder. It is God's will that you give thanks.

That means the flip side is also true. If you are not thankful, if you are fussing, if you are complaining, you are out of the will of God. What are you doing right now? What are you thinking? Are you doing God's will?

Try this: stop what you are doing and take out a piece of paper. Write down three gifts of God for which you are thankful. Take a few moments and know that you are walking in the will of God and rejoice.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I'm Living My Biography

I started reading Through Gates of Splendor yesterday. It is the story of Jim Elliot written by his wife Elizabeth. I was struck as I read the first chapter by the fact that she loved what God was doing in his life. She gushed with admiration for God and her husband.

Then a thought came to me. I wondered what would happen if I died and Kim wrote a biography about me. What would she say? Would it be filled with confidence in God? Am I the kind of man that she could admire and respect? What if my children tried to write it? What would they say?

There are two things that I know. First, I am not worthy of a biography, and if one was written it would not be like Jim Elliot's. Second, I am living the material now. I am humbled and challenged by this. God help me to live a faithful life before them. Only God knows how much I want to lead them to and not away from Christ.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

A Missionary Moment: Jim Elliot

I know that it is pitiful to try to summarize a person's life in a blog post. That is especially true of a life so full as that of Jim Elliot. At first it may sound strange to say that of a man that died at 29 years of age. But a full life is not measured by the passing of the sands of time. Rather a full life is measured by the degree to which the glory of God is seen through it.

Perhaps the title of his published journal's said it all, for he lived under the Shadow of the Almighty. As I read and thought about his life, a few important lesson emerged.

First, living under the almighty shadow of God gives us a holy restlessness. Suddenly we are discouraged by the status-quo and committed to making a difference. Elliot lamented this in his own life. Hence, he prayed, "Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God." While preparing to go to Ecuador, people tried to discourage him. They claimed that he would be of more use in the states, because he could stir them with missionary fervor. His response reveals the same dissatisfaction:

So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring? They have Moses and the prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers. American believers have sold their lives to the service of Mammon, and God has his rightful way of dealing with those who succumb to the spirit of Laodica.

Second, living under the shadow of the almighty gives a healthy perspective of death. On January 8, 1956 Jim Elliot along with his missionary partners headed out for a meeting with the notorious Auca Indians in Ecuador. Just before he left, his young wife asked if he would use the gun in his pocked if attacked by the Indians. His response challenges our self-protective tendencies. "We will not use our guns," he responded. When asked why he simply said, "Because we are ready for heaven, but they are not." A short time later the Indians did attack killing all the men. Jim left a wife of less than three years and a baby girl. In death he testified to what he said in life. "He is not fool who give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

May God help us to live under the shadow of the almighty so that we may have a holy restlessness to see the nations come to our God!

Monday, July 27, 2009

A Quest for More: Part 4

The inner essence of sin is selfishness. The power of sin draws us away from God and others, giving us an almost exclusive concern with self. Tripp describes this as the formation of a kingdom of one.

This gives greater understanding to many of life's issues. Consider the intensity of conflict experienced between teenagers and parents. The parent wants a clean room; the teenager wants freedom. The parents demand; the child rebels, and hours of fighting lay ahead. On the surface, it seems quite silly. But when we understand that what we have here is a conflict of two kingdoms, we begin to see how deeply our sins affect us and how ferociously we are committed to our kingdom.

Using Matt. 6:25-34 as a guide, Tripp shows how earth-bound needs drive us to insecurity. What usually happens is an expansion of our concept of need, and we have a hard time distinguishing between wants and needs. If grace does not free us our earth-bound desires lead to anxiety-driven needs, and we live painfully small lives in light of God's plan.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Life Above the Sun: Seeing Majesty in the Mundane

Most of life feels mundane. The housewife has the same routine. The job has the same people dealing with the same problems. Sometimes I feel like I am living in the book of Ecclesiastes--vanity of vanities, nothing is new under the sun, all are striving after the wind.

In those moments, I find that my perspective is decidedly earth bound. Then God in his great mercy transforms my perspective through his word. He jolts me awake with passages like 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. "For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Notice how a gospel perspective changes everything. It changes how we understand affliction. For the most part, afflictions oppresses us. We feel as if we will never get out from under. But this passage reminds us that God is at work even in our afflictions. Feel his goodness as He takes afflictions that happen to us and puts the to work for us. When we see that God takes our pain and turns them into stepping-stones to joy, our pain seems light and short. Our afflictions are preparing something for us, and the result is "glory beyond all comparison."

This centers us on what is truly important, and we look beyond--beyond the mundane of our day, beyond perceived meaninglessness. We look toward eternity and understand that our time is fleeting, a mere shadow of our real existence. The things that seem so important now will seem so small then. We are made for eternity. Thus, I pray that God will fortify us with this thought that we may see the majesty behind the mundane.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A Missionary Moment: Lottie Moon

Who is Lottie Moon? I must have asked that question a hundred times growing up. After all, we did take up an offering in her name every year. But no one explained to me who she was and why we remember her this way.

Charlotte Lottie Moon was born on December 12, 1840 in Albermale County Virgina. In God's providence this girl would go on to serve for more than 39 years on the mission field, most of which was in China. She died at age 72 aboard a ship in a Japanese harbor, weighing no more than 50 pounds.

In her prime, she was a small women who was mighty in the faith. Standing around 4 feet, 3 inches, she became a champion for the cause of Christ in China. She immersed herself in Chinese culture. She ate, spoke, dressed, and lived as they did. In this she followed the incarnational example of Jesus as she ministered to the people. As a matter of fact, for some time no one knew that she spoke English.

She displayed an unusual courage in the cause of Christ. In 1890, persecution broke out against Christians in Sha-ling. Lottie rushed to Sha-ling and told the persecution leaders, "If you attempt to destroy his church, you will have to kill me first. Jesus gave himself for us Christians. Now I am ready to die for him."

How different our churches would be if we had this faith. Imagine a contentions business meeting, filled with the flushed faces of anger. Just before a split happens, a small but fiery lady brings everyone back to the cross with these words. What a difference it would make in our sleepy congregations to see a living example of such courage!

Her courage and character earned the respect of many. In 1911 China's revolution broke out. Fighting was intense around Baptist mission stations, and the U.S. asked missionaries to leave. All did with one exception--Lottie Moon. She heard of a hospital where all personnel were left unaided in the care of the sick. Thus she made her way through waring troops and took charge of the hospital. In a short time, others returned and took over the hospital, freeing Lottie to leave with things in good hands. Akin records the astounding events surrounding her departure. "With the baptist hospital in rightful hands, Lottie packed up to return home, but the men warned that heavy fighting made this impossible. When she insisted, they sent word to the opposing generals that Miss Moon would be passing through at a set hour. A young missionary escorted her and as they made their way through the battle lines, firing stopped on both sides." If that is not an example of the power of Christian influence, I do not know what is.

She labored tirelessly for much needed funds and manpower. She chided Baptist: "If fills me with sorrow to see these people so earnest in their worship of false gods, seeking to work out their salvation by supposed works of merit, with no one to tell them of a better way. Then, to remember the wealth hoarded in Christian coffers. The money lavished on fine dress and costly living." She asked, should we not "become co-workers with our Lord and Master in the conversion of the world?" Indeed we should. But it will cost us.

I say that she pleaded for "manpower" because she lamented the lack of men on the mission field. In an open letter she said, "I am trying to do the work that could fill the hands of three of four women, and in addition must do much work that ought to be done by young men." If we are honest, we know that this is not simply a missionary problem. For years, women have carried the load in most Baptist churches. God forgive us and help us to change.

Lottie Moon was inspiring. I hope that God will bless me with her courage and drive, and I pray that God use us all as co-laborers to win the world.

*All the material for this post came from Daniel Akin's work 5 Who Changed the World

A Warning For Preachers (and those who listen to them)

While we are on a roll, here is another thought for preachers as we prepare this week. We must remember, "What a preacher is in prayer to God, for himself, for his people, so is his power for real good, so is his true faithfulness and his true fidelity to God, for time and eternity." That is, preaching is too serious to become a mechanical process. It is a spiritual exercise that Thus we are fools to think that can perform spiritual tasks without employing spiritual weapons. But we can become so proficient in our techniques that we lose a sense of the divine. Hear and tremble as E.M Bounds warns, "The scientist loses God in nature. The preacher may lose God in his sermons."

May it never be! I pray that we will not be so familiar with the text or so set on what we want to say that we lose the God revealed in the Word. And I pray that those who listen to us will not be satisfied with merely practical self-help talks that do not reveal the majesty of God to their glory-starved souls. I pray that the atmosphere of our services will be dominated by God and that we will rejoice in what we see and hear to the glory of Christ.

**(Both quotes are taken from E.M. Bounds' Power Through Prayer)

Monday, July 20, 2009

A Word to Preachers (and those who listen to them)

E.M Bounds reminds us in his classic work, Power Through Prayer, of the power of holiness. Listen, repent, and rejoice.

The preacher must throw himself, with all the abandon of a perfect self-emptying faith and a self-consuming zeal, into his work for the salvation of men. Hearty, heroic, compassionate, fearless martyrs must the men be who take hold of and shape a generation for God. If they be timid time-servers, place-seekers, if they be men-pleasers or men-fearers, if their faith has a weak hold on God or His Word, if their denial be broken by any phrase of self or the world, they cannot take hold of the church nor the world for God . . . It is not great talents or great learning or great preachers that God needs, but men great in holiness, great in faith, great in love, great in fidelity, great for God--men always preaching by holy sermons in the pulpit, by holy lives out of it. These can mold a generation for God.

A Quest for More: Part 3

Sin is a big deal--a really big one. We often do not see it that way. We look at the fall as a misdemeanor rather than treason, but the Bible will not let us off the hook. Because Adam and Eve's fall humanity is comprehensively affected and depraved, families struggle and split, creation groans, and society always seems to totter on the brink of destruction.

But that is exactly what we fail to see. Our sin shrinks our concern to only those things that affect me in this moment., and our world shrinks to our own kingdom. It is not until we see the holistic, biblical picture of the effects of sin that our concern expands into kingdom concern. That is the emphasis in chapter 3. Trip notes, "If the glory of God is reflected in all of creation, if the effects of sin reach to all of creation, and if the goal of redemption is to restore all of creation, then what should you and I care about? Everything (45)!"

When our God is too small, our sin is no big deal. When sin is no big deal, our mission is a matter of preference. When our mission is a matter of preference, love loses its nerve. So let us see the holistic, biblical portrait of sin and marvel at the massive victory of Chris over it.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

It Can't Get Any Better, Can It?

That was what I was thinking on July 18th, eleven years ago. I was standing at the front of Clearwater Baptist Church. My father stood beside me as the congregation rose to its feet. When the back door opened, my eyes almost popped out of my head. There stood the most beautiful women that I had ever seen, and she was minutes away from being my wife. I just remember thinking, "If just can't get any better than this, can it?"

Amazingly it has. God has blessed me with a wife that is so much better than I deserve. I am not sure if it is the way the she cares for us and cherishes our children, or if it is her relentless commitment to God's call that impresses me the most. She has followed me away to school and back again. She worked while I prepared for ministry, and now she works preparing our children for life. She has spent evenings alone when I am called out. She has been a relentless encourager and partner, and I am a better man for it.

Kim, the words "I love you" seem woefully incomplete to express how I feel, but they are all that I have. Very few people are blessed enough to be married to their best friend as I am. The first 11 years have been great, and I am as excited as ever about what God may bring us. Happy anniversary. When I hear these words, I always think of you: "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done excellently but you surpass them all (Prov. 31:27-29)."

Thank you God for your grace and kindness toward us. We have made it this far because of your mercy, and by your mercy we go on. You have blesses us; help us to be a blessing to others. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Loved by God Through the Body

Last night the church we serve, Double Springs Baptist, threw a surprise anniversary party for Kim and I. We were totally overwhelmed at the goodness of God who placed us in this body. As I thought about it, I rejoiced. I rejoiced at the intensity of shared love within the body. It is with good reason that John said, "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 John 3:16)."

Part of me, however, grieves. I grieve because I know that in our area there are so may de-churched people. They have not experienced such love and have cut themselves off from the body of Christ. They simply do not know what they are missing.

If you are one of these people, do the hard thing and find a church. Find a church that preaches the Bible and strives to live it. You will be glad you did.

Say It For Me Augustine

I mentioned St. Augustine and his confessions in my last post. Here is a flavor of how he says the same thing--only much better.

He alone was free among the dead. He alone had power to lay down his life and power to take it up again, and for us he became to you both victor and victim; and victor because he was the victim. For us, he was to you both priest and sacrifice, and priest because he was the sacrifice. Out of slaves, he makes us your sons, because he was born of you and did serve us. Rightly, then, is my hope fixed strongly on him, that you will heal all my diseases through him, who sits at your right hand and makes intercession for us. Otherwise I should utterly despair. For my infirmities are many and great; indeed, they are very many and very great. But your medicine is still greater (see Augustine, Confessions, 10.43.69).

Resuced

Sometimes my memory of past sinfulness is almost overwhelming. Apparently I am not alone. Saint Augustine wrote an entire book of confessions to his God. Sometimes I wonder why we are allowed to remember our past sinfulness. Surely God could erase the memory as he has erased the debt. Why must we have the stabbing pain of remembered sin?

Part of the answer, I think, is so that we will glorify God as we remember not just the pain of sin but the sweetness of deliverance. Every remembrance of sin humbles me, but it is meant to do more than humble me. It is meant to drive me to the cross, where I remember who I am now. Praise God that through Jesus who I am now barely resembles who I used to be. And who I am now is only a small glimpse of what I will one day become. Oh, how my chains fall at the cross. Oh, how my heart sings. Oh, how I look forward to being with Jesus forever. And it is all possible because Jesus paid it all. I thank God that I cannot remember my sin without being drawn to my Savior.

I hear the Savior say, 'Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness watch and pray, find in me thine all in all.'

For nothing good have I whereby they grace to claim, I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's Lamb.

Lord, now indeed I find thy power and thine alone can change the lepers spots and melt the heart of stone.

And when before the throne I stand in him complete, I'll lay my trophies down, fall down at Jesus' feet.

Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain he washed it white as snow.


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A Quest for More: Part 2

We have all seen it happen. The box under the tree contains the exact toy that the kid wanted. It was carefully chose, wrapped, and placed for their joy. You giggle as they open it, imagining what fun they will have. A few moments later, however, you are agitated as they child leaves the toy to play with the box. Somehow the child concludes that there is more fun in the empty box than with the toy. In some unknown language the box calls and the child answers. But boxes do not last long. They soon break and become useless, and if the child has not discovered joy of the real gift, you are in for a long day.

In a small way, sin works that way in our lives. It promises big and delivers small. Satan is a master deceiver. From the first sin in the garden to your last sin today, he holds out promises of freedom, joy, and power. He entices us to forsake knowing God for passing pleasure of a moment. Satan promises god-like power, but leads us to death-like chains.

Unfortunately, we settle for the small promises of sin in all sorts of mundane ways. One effect is a loss of the joy and purpose for which we are created. One challenge we all face, is discovering the ways we are duped into a pursuit of what is less, to repent and forsake its suicidal path, and to return to God with the promise of the gospel. Then and only then will we be on a true quest for More.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Missionary Moment: Part 2

William Wallace was born in 1908 in Tennessee. His mother died when he was eleven, leaving William, his sister, and their physician father behind. At age 17, his conscious was assaulted by the nagging question: what would God have me do with this my life? With a Bible in hand, he made the decisive decision to be a medial missionary to the nations. He spent the next 10 years receiving his education. Along the way, he turned down a lucrative offer from a stateside medical practice to pursue his dream. As his training drew to a close, he wrote these words to the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, "I must confess, I am not a good speaker nor apt as a teacher, but I do feel God can use my training as a physician. As humble as I know how, I want to volunteer to serve as a medical missionary under our Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board."

With these words, he launched a missionary career in China. Wallace arrived during unrest and stayed when others left. He served the Chinese people during the Japanese invasion of China, World War II, and the Communist takeover of China. Sometimes he even performed surgery with bombs exploding all around him. He was often with the sickest patients in the most dangerous parts of the hospital.

His radical sacrifice of time and energy was fueled by a overwhelming sense of God. He saw himself simply as "one piece of man." This Chinese saying was used to deprecate one's value by painting him as a single expendable person. But when Wallace said it, he was not using a phrase for show. As one commented, "He really meant it. He has no concept of his own worth and no anxiety for the future that I can see." In other words, the smallness of his life in relation to the greatness of God released in him such sacrificial energy that he could stay through hardships for the glory of Christ.

Eventually, this would cost him his life. In December 1950, the Communist planted evidence against Wallace in attempts to paint him as a spy. He endured the horror of attempted brainwashing, before he was killed in February 1951.

What a legacy this man leaves for us. Who said that Christian teachers are the only ones who can make a difference? Who says that God cannot get the attention of a 17 year old and change his life forever? What would happen if we were as available to God as this man? What might happen in our lives, families, and communities?

* All of this information was taken from Daniel Akin's 5 Who Changed the World pp. 37-55

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Trains, Trains, and More Trains


It is not as easy as it look. You try to drive the Polar Express when a John Deer keeps messing it up.

Luke the Duke: A Hard Workin Man


Look everybody. This is what I do at papaw's house for fun. Where is my dad when I need him?

Freedom in God's Will

Here is one follow up thought from the life of Adoniram Judson. He worked with the constant threat of death. In that atmosphere, how do you serve the Lord? Judson once said, "[I]t is possible my life will be spared, if so, with what zeal shall I pursue my work! If not--His will be done. The door will be open for others who will do the work better (see Akin, 5 Who
Changed the World
, 28)."

What freedom there is in serving God! If my life is spared today, with what zeal shall I follow Him. If I die, his will be done. His work will not stop!

Invest your life that way today. Invest in work that will out live you. With zeal give yourself to the mission of God with the freedom that this work will out-last you.

Monday, July 6, 2009

A Missionary Moment

Danny Akin's little book 5 Who Changed the World is a collection of sermons delivered at Southeastern Baptist Theological seminary. It covers 5 influential missionaries by relating their lives to a biblical text.



This morning I read the chapter on Adoniram and Ann Judson. This couple is famous for their work and suffering in Burma. At one point, Adoniram was imprisoned in what was called the "Death Prison." It was a forty by thirty feet room. In it were one hundred persons--both male and female, half naked and marked for death. The floor was covered by dead animals and piles of human waste. Each night their captures placed a bamboo pole between their shackled legs, lifting all but their shoulders off the ground in order to prevent escape.



Ann visited her husband regularly, though she was burdened beyond belief. At one point, she carried her new born child through the streets begging native women to nurse her child, for she was too emaciated to do it herself. She eventually died on the field.



Initially the work was slow. There were 18 converts in the first 10 years of ministry. By the end of his life, however, there were in Burma 7,000 people baptized, 63 congregations, and 163 missionaries. At one point he requested 15 to 20 thousand gospel tracks for a Buddhist festival that proved most fruitful. He described the scene:



[We have distributed] nearly ten thousand tracts, giving to none but those who ask. I presume there have been six thousand applications at the house. Some come two or three months' journey from the borders of Siam and China--'Sir, we hear that there is an eternal hell. We are afraid of it. Do give us a writing that will tell us how to escape it.' Others come from the frontiers of Kathay, an hundred miles north of Ava--'Sir, we have seen a writing that tells about an eternal God. Are you the man that gives away such writings? If so, pray give us one, for we want to know the truth before we die.' Others come from the interior of the country, where the name of Jesus Christ is little known--'Are you Jesus Christ's man? Give us a writing that tells us about Jesus Christ (quoted on pages 33-34).'



What a God He is to triumph over suffering for the glory of His name. What a God He is who takes regular people and makes them "Jesus Christ's man." I hope to be one some day.

A Quest for More: Part 1

At Double Springs Baptist church, we are studying through Paul Tripp's helpful book A Quest for More. Over the next several weeks, I will provide a chapter by chapter summary for this class. Today we begin with chapter 1.

Chapter 1 discusses the desire in all people to be a part of something big. He calls this a desire for transcendence; that is, "a craving to be a part of something bigger, greater, and more profound than our relatively meaningless day-to-day existence (p. 14)." Sadly, however, the tendency in our hearts is to live for self-satisfaction and self-survival. Herein lies a tension. On the one hand, we feel a desire to be a part of something big. On the other hand, we relentlessly pursue our selfish and small agendas, which produces a good deal of frustration.

Tripp does not ignore or condemn our desire for transcendence; he explains it in terms of our original creation. In Genesis 1-2 it is apparent that Adam and Eve were not created for themselves. They were created for God. Another word for this experience used is glory. Drawing from the creation account, Tripp closes this with a discussion of 4 spheres of glory that are meant to bring "life-shaping focus" to all humans. The first, and most obvious, is God glory. Life does not define life. God defines life. We are created to see, know, and experience life in primarily in relation to God. Second, we are created for the glory of stewardship. Adam and Eve were "resident managers" in God's creation and so are we. We do not own our "stuff" in any true sense. God has entrusted us with such gifts to care for as an act of worship to him. Third, we are created for community glory. It was not good for Adam to be alone. He was designed to live with another in service for the glory of God. This truth extends to our relationships today. Our relationships are not merely about our relationships. Rather our relationships are part of a bigger story--God's story. Finally, we are created for truth glory. Thath is, we are dependent on God for direction, wisdom, and a right interpretation of our lives. Just like Adam and Eve--who opted to get truth from another source--our tendency to to look elsewhere for wisdom.

These f0ur areas of glory give shape and challenge to our lives. At every point we are tempted to forsake the greater for the lesser. And we shrink the size of our lives to the size of our lives. This book is about pursuing a different path--a godward path toward the glory for which we were created.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Reacting to One

I was around twenty years old when I met him. Preacher Hooker, as we affectionately called him, was a tall yet gentle man. I loved how he still adored his wife after all their years together, and I loved how he seemed so gentle while remaining a man of conviction.

He was not always this way. At least that is what he used to tell us. I still remember how his voice would tremble as he spoke his past struggle with anger, and I remember the look on his face when he spoke of the lessons he learned. One particular lesson stuck with me. He would say, "I just determined never to be a reaction to some one's action." That is, the actions of other people would not be what determined how he lived his life. They would not set the emotional agenda for him.

Over the years this quote kept me from a lot of self-inflicted pain. It is a great quote. And it is almost right. I do not say "almost" because I disagree; I just want to go a step beyond. So, I say almost for this reason: while other people are not meant to set the emotional agenda for me, there is one person who should--Jesus. I am made to be a reaction to he supreme action of self-sacrifice on the cross. My motivations, plans, and actions are meant to be a response of love to his motivation, plan, and action. Paul says it like this, "For the love of Christ compels us, because we have concluded this: that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Cor. 5:14-15)."

So wherever you are today. Don't live a life of reaction to every body's actions. Live as a reaction to his action and watch his grace work as his kingdom expands.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Are you satisfied?

Some quotes never get old. Time and time again God uses them to snap us back to reality. The following quote does that for me. It comes from a man named J. Campbell White who was the founder of the Layman's Missionary Movement. He said:

Most men are not satisfied with the permanent output of their lives. Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within his followers except the adoption of Christ's purpose toward the world he came to redeem. Fame, pleasure and riches are but husks and ashes in contrast with the boundless and abiding joy of working with God for the fulfillment of his eternal plans. The men who are putting everything into Christ's undertaking are getting out of life its sweetest and most priceless rewards (quoted in John Piper, When I Don't Desire God, 229).
I hope that we will not be satisfied with anything less than the boundless joy of working with God for the fulfilment of his mission.