1 Corinthians 15:58 “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”
Last century a young man felt the call of God on his life to go to China. William Borden came from an affluent family and attended the prestigious Yale University. His prospects were as good as anyone’s, and a successful career would surely follow in whichever field he set his mind to excel. So his family and friends were horrified when he chose to give up everything and head for China. “If you want to do good things, then surely there are plenty of needs here. Don’t waste your life in a foreign country!” they remonstrated with him. But he knew what he had to do.
He boarded a ship for China, full of faith and hope. By the time he had reached Egypt, however, it was clear to everyone that he was a dying man. It was at this point that he might have slipped into self-pitying despair. Thoughts could have entered his mind such as, “What a waste of my life! They were right. I should have stayed back home and had a respectable life, enjoying my family and friends.” But no, as he lay dying in the port of Suez, he scribbled a brief note to his loved ones in America which made a powerful epitaph – just six words: “No reserve, no retreat, no regrets.”
What a waste, surely?! My Grandfather was the top mathematician of his year at Cambridge University and was given the prestigious title ‘Senior Wrangler’. His professors despaired when he went to the mission field rather than into academia: “What a waste of such a brain!” But his life’s work touched maybe hundreds of thousands of people. And through the likes of him and Borden, I and hopefully you are inspired to give God our all.
Have you decided what you’ll spend your life on?
Lord, I choose to spend my whole life on you today. Amen!
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