Purpose Driven: Part 2

As Elizabeth Elliot contemplated widowhood for the cause of Christ, she concedes:

It was time for soul-searching, a time for counting the possible cost. Was it the thrill of adventure that drew our husbands on? No. Their letters and journals make it abundantly clear that these men did not go out as some men to out to shoot lion or climb a mountain. Their compulsion was from a different source. Each had made a personal transaction with God, recognizing that he belonged to God, first of all by creation, and secondly by redemption through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. This double claim in his life settled once and for all the question of allegiance. It was not a matter of striving to follow the example of a great Teacher. To conform to the perfect life of Jesus was impossible for a human being. To these men, Jesus Christ was God, and had actually taken upon Himself human form, in order that He might die, and, by his death, provide not only escape from the punishment which their sin merited, but also a new kind of life, eternal both in length and quality. This meant simply that Christ was to be obeyed, and more than that, that He would provide the power to obey. The point of decision had been reached. God's command 'Go ye, and preach the gospel to every creature' was the categorical imperative. The question of personal safety was wholly irrelevant (Through Gates of Splendor, 170-171)

Indeed it is. Going is not optional, for God has come to rescue us. Therefore, we must lay down our lives for others.