Laying it All Down and Raising up Others to Do So

July 21, 2006

Lar,

Just the mere mention of Brainerd’s name brings conviction–particularly for my enslavement to comfort and ease. It is amazing isn’t it what the Lord does with a humble saint who lives with a single eye to the manifestation of God’s glory among the lost? I marvel at Brainerd and thus, at our great Lord. He dies at age 29 after ministering for what, 7 maybe 8 years? And the Lord uses his humble testimony to stir many to frontier missions and to sustain them while they work! His diary is read up until this day!

Brainerd wasn’t caught up in being great in the eyes of the world. He could preach with the best of them and was called to a suburban pastorate. But he forsook it all and considered it but rubbish for the sake of Jesus Christ. What was his gain? Christ was his gain! He lived to know Him and to make Him known. O for such a heart! O for such a single eye of devotion! Might the Lord see fit to raise up a harvest of men! Yet, He probably will not. Such men are few and far between, sadly. In this day and age, they are hard to find to say the least.

I would simply say this: Even if we might not be called to live such a life, we should at least learn of and from such men, and admire such men, and seek to raise up and encourage such men. This goes for us as parents and pastors and whoever really. We should be diligent to cultivate such hearts for the Lord. Brainerds don’t come out of nowhere. They are encouraged by a few they respect to follow their radical hearts to its desired end, even if it means death.

I have had to think about this much after having children. Well, I guess I haven’t had to, but I have. My heart seems to demand it. What if little Abigail or Elijah were called to live such a life? What if it was their heart’s desire to lay down their lives for the Lord–literally? Am I willing to encourage that, or will I stifle that passion? Is death for Christ success, or I am just as enslaved as every other American to the bogus old “American dream.” No. If the Lord would will, let them lay it all down for the kingdom and receive the martyr’s crown! It is difficult to say, but when the Lord has captured the inner essence of your soul, you cannot say anything else.

Jesus Christ is coming soon, and we can be sure that before He comes, many will die for the sake of His great name. As far as I can see it, the church (all over the world, but especially here in American) is desperate for men and women who will become so captured by the truth that the Lord makes known His glory among the nations through suffering saints, that they will become jealous to do one of two things: either to be those radical saints themselves, or to raise up such ones!

O I pray that the Lord might capture the hearts of His people once again! For when He does, many will not only be willing to lay down their lives for His name’s sake; many will actually desire to do so. Then they will risk for His cause while staring death right in the face!

May the Lord grant us such grace to either be such ones or raise up such ones! And O how we need grace!
Longing to lay it all down for Jesus,

Joe

Posted by Joe | Filed Under Seeking Him 

Comments

Got something to say?