Passion and Purity
I love the new book I'm reading, Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot, wife to Jim Elliot the Christian missionary that was murdered in the jungle because of his efforts to bring Jesus to a lost tribe. I haven't finished it yet but from what I've read so far, I love it. This couple's commitment to follow the Lord and sacrifice their own desires and will for His is truly inspiring. They love each other best by loving Jesus first and I am drawn to this.
Bett, the name that Jim Elliot affectionately calls Elisabeth Elliot in this book describes her struggle with her feelings for Jim when they first meet:
"But the question to precede all others, which finally determines the course of our lives is What do I really want? Was it to love what God commands, in the words of the collect, and to desire what he promises? Did I want what I wanted or did I want what He wanted, no matter what it might cost?
Until the will and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone to accept, His Lordship. The Cross, as it enters the love life, will reveal the heart's truth. My heart, I knew, would be forever a lonely hunter unless settled "where true joys are to be found."
I love this as the theme for my year has been "God is enough" and my declaration when the new year came round was that this would be the year that I would strive to have God be enough for me. That He would be my everlasting fount and I would, through his power, no longer run to broken cisterns in attempts to squeeze out the singlest ounce of never-satisfying mud! I will always be thirsty if that is the case.
I long to be surrendered to this. Elisabeth and Jim Elliot's incredible story inspires me to that end, not only where romance is concerned but in every arena of life. The Cross is my ultimate joy and happiness and satisfaction forever! It's only by your blood, Jesus...
Bett, the name that Jim Elliot affectionately calls Elisabeth Elliot in this book describes her struggle with her feelings for Jim when they first meet:
"But the question to precede all others, which finally determines the course of our lives is What do I really want? Was it to love what God commands, in the words of the collect, and to desire what he promises? Did I want what I wanted or did I want what He wanted, no matter what it might cost?
Until the will and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone to accept, His Lordship. The Cross, as it enters the love life, will reveal the heart's truth. My heart, I knew, would be forever a lonely hunter unless settled "where true joys are to be found."
I love this as the theme for my year has been "God is enough" and my declaration when the new year came round was that this would be the year that I would strive to have God be enough for me. That He would be my everlasting fount and I would, through his power, no longer run to broken cisterns in attempts to squeeze out the singlest ounce of never-satisfying mud! I will always be thirsty if that is the case.
I long to be surrendered to this. Elisabeth and Jim Elliot's incredible story inspires me to that end, not only where romance is concerned but in every arena of life. The Cross is my ultimate joy and happiness and satisfaction forever! It's only by your blood, Jesus...