“Without the Word, there is nothing left for us but darkness.”
from John Calvin’s commentary on 2 Peter 1.19
Over the last week or so it’s been a joy to discover the life of Hudson Taylor in his biography, A Man in Christ, by Roger Steer. I’m barely a third of the way through, but the faith a man so young shows is a real wake-up call.
He seems to have such great dependence on God to provide, on his sovereign hand, on the power of his gospel to bring the Chinese to faith. I do hope 2007 is year marked by living by faith.
Taylor’s willingness to drop everything to put the needs of the Chinese first are a real stark prod at my, and I’m sure many Western Christians, comfort with ‘the way things are’. I was reading an article on Calvin for my dissertation, and he showed a similar readiness to abandon his own priorities once the call of God was clear. Calling is a mysterious word – we can use to defend ourselves as comfy Christians – and yet the call to ‘Go and make disciples’ is there – we’ve been called by grace into the kingdom of light. The only viable response, to share that same kingdom call, is what we’re all called to. I hope that this year would be one where I do ‘Abandon it all, for the sake of the call’.
