No Fool

“Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

Jim Elliot was a missionary to Ecuador. During his life, Jim Elliot dreamed that more people would share the love of Jesus with those in other countries. From the pages of his journal comes this quote Jim Elliot is now famous for, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” 

At the age of 28, Jim Elliot and three of his friends lost their lives at the hands of the very people they were trying to reach. However, because of the circumstances surrounding Jim Elliot’s death, many people were inspired to become missionaries, probably more people than Jim ever could have inspired in life. 

Two years after his death, Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, along with their three-year-old daughter went to live with the tribe who took her husband’s life. She taught them about true forgiveness and love, which forever transformed their way of life. One of the first men to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior was the man who killed two of her husband’s friends. The tribe became peaceful and eventually even changed its name to reflect their change of heart. 

Jim Elliot was no fool. He lost what he couldn’t keep, but he gained what he could not lose. Only heaven knows how many lives have been impacted by the life and death of Jim Elliot, including mine. If you want to be a follower of Jesus, you have to give up your own way.