Risking the Temporal for the Eternal

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep

to gain what he cannot lose."

- Jim Elliot 

During this third week of Advent, I celebrate all those people who risk their life to share the hope, peace, and life that we gain as we place our trust in Jesus. Philip James Elliot (Oct 8, 1927 – Jan 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while sharing the Gospel message with the Waodani people of Ecuador. His words remind us that we can live for today, which is finite, or we can choose to live for eternity, impacting lives in ways that add value and endure.

 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
   the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'"

(1 Corinthians 1:18,19)

*Photo from atanycost.org.

“'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, 
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 
but to save the world through Him. 
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, 
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already 
because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 
This is the verdict: 
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light 
because their deeds were evil. 
Everyone who does evil hates the light, 
and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, 
so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done 
has been done through God.'”

(John 3:16-21)