“Measure thy life by loss instead of gain;
Not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured out.” ~Ugo Bassi
“Only one life twill soon be passed,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
William Borden was the son of a wealthy businessman, and could have settled for a life of convenience and ease. He dedicated his life as a missionary, focusing his college years on reaching those around him with the gospel. He died before even arriving in China, but his devotion inspired multitudes. He left his fortune (one million dollars) to be invested in the cause of Christ, in addition to the thousands of dollars he had given away in his lifetime.
In his flyleaf was written these words:
No reserves.
No retreats.
No regrets.
After Christ has suffered so much on our behalf that we might be partakes of the gift of eternal life, how can we not live with a spirit of martyrdom…willingness to give it all for His sake! This has been on my heart and mind…and will not seem to go away. How can I learn to give lavishly – with no reserves! That I might come to the end of my life with no regrets! Is this the day I die? was the question that Brother Yun asked daily (in his book Heavenly Man -the story of a Chinese persecuted Christian).
How can I give to meet the needs of another today? Could it be with time, money or energy?
The challenge is to give when you think you can afford it but also to give when you think you can’t afford it!
Should I really be saving for myself? Give until it hurts – my dad always said!
Is Heavenly Man one of the books by Harvey Yoder? We have reallly enjoyed some of his books. They have really inspired us.
And “Give until it hurts” reminds me of what Mother Theresa often said: “Love until it hurts”.
You asked if we should really be saving for ourselves. It reminds me of the story in the Bible, I forget where, where there was a man who had saved up a lot of grain for himself and thought that at that point he would “take his ease” and live off what he had saved for the rest of his life (retire well). And the answer from the Lord was “Thou fool, this night I take your life from you”. I believe he was one who had left hungry beggars at his gate.
The Bible is pretty clear (and scarey) about questions like that. We haven’t and don’t always do right there. We would like to do better.
Heavenly Man is written by Brother Yun, edited by Paul Hathaway. An excellent and inspiring read! I added the link above.
Good stuff, thanks Lindsay.