Through Gates of Splendor

I just finished reading "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot. I had been reading "The Mystery of God's Will" by Chuck Swindoll (a great book), in which Chuck mentioned this book by Elliot as one that impacted him greatly. Derek Webb once said that he was a huge fan of Bob Dylan. He learned all about his music, lyrics, style, etc. Then, he began looking into the music of those who inspired Dylan, and in that way, he really was able to learn about Dylan and his perspective on music. So, in this way, I wanted to learn Chuck's perspective in writing the Mystery of God's Will. It just so happened that I saw the book in Scripture Haven, so I made the purchase, started reading it this weekend, and put off a lot of schoolwork to finish it.

This was the first book I've ever read about missionaries. Throughout the book I was impressed by the strength, courage, and faith of those in the story. They wanted so badly to spread the Gospel to the savage Indian tribes, that they were willing to overcome the risks. It's all about priorities and recognizing the sheer importance of the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ. These guys were willing to take their faith into Ecuador, risking their lives, and I struggle taking my faith to the workplace and the classroom? Wow, I've been living in comfortable America for way too long. I would LOVE to go on the Spring Break mission trip again this year, but I don't know if that is God's will. We'll see what happens. I'll close with a quote from the book:

"God is God. If He is God, He is worthy of my worship and my service. I will find rest nowhere but in His will, and that will is infinitely immeasurably, unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to...God is the God of human history, and He is at work continuously, mysteriously, accomplishing His eternal purposes in us, through us, for us and in spite of us."