In the bustling marketplace of life, where job advertisements vie for our attention, we encounter a cacophony of promises. Employers dangle enticing perks: plush offices, hefty paychecks, corner suites, and the allure of prestige. The world beckons us with glittering lures, whispering, “This is where success lies. This is where you’ll find fulfilment.”

Yet, amidst this clamour, God’s call resounds—a divine invitation that defies convention. It doesn’t promise comfort or worldly acclaim. Instead, it beckons us to a different path—one that requires radical obedience, self-denial, and a willingness to embrace the countercultural.

The Cost of Following Christ

Jesus, the ultimate disruptor of norms, issued a stark challenge: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”(John 12:24, ESV) His words echo across time, piercing through the noise of our ambitions. To follow Him is to surrender our lives, allowing our desires, dreams, and self-centeredness to die—to fall into the fertile soil of His purpose.

Jim Elliot’s Unwavering Faith

Jim Elliot, a young American missionary, embodied this radical call. His heart burned with a passion to reach the unreached. Along with four other friends, he set his sights on the Huaorani people of Ecuador—an indigenous tribe living deep within the Amazon jungle. The five men’s mission: to share the gospel, even at the risk of their lives.

Jim’s unwavering faith led him to pen these immortal words in his journal: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” These words, etched in eternity, encapsulate the essence of radical discipleship. Jim understood that earthly treasures fade, but the eternal harvest of souls endures.

The Faith That Grew in Ecuador

Jim Elliot and his friends paid the ultimate price. In 1956, they were speared to death by the very people they sought to reach. Yet, their sacrifice bore fruit beyond imagination. The Huaorani tribe, once hostile, encountered the love of Christ. Hearts softened, lives transformed, and a vibrant Christian community emerged from the jungle.

Ecuador witnessed a faith explosion—a revival sparked by the blood of martyrs. The seeds sown in sacrifice yielded a harvest of faith, resilience, and unwavering commitment. The Huaorani, once steeped in darkness, now radiated the light of Christ.

The Radical, Counter-cultural Call

Today, God’s call remains unchanged. It beckons us to die to self—to relinquish our plans, comforts, and securities. It invites us to count the costs before signing up—to weigh the eternal against the temporal.

The world’s enticements pale in comparison to the joy of following Jesus, even when it means taking up our cross daily.

So, let us heed the radical invitation. Let us be fools for Christ—giving up what we cannot keep to gain what we can never lose. For in dying to ourselves, we find true life—the abundant, eternal life that flourishes in the soil of surrender.

Related Reads:

• How May Ordinary, Timid Christians Stand Up to Persecution?
• The Cost of Discipleship: Lessons from Luke 14
• The Prosperity Gospel’s Lies and the True Cost of Discipleship
• The Marks of an Authentic Christian: A Guide to Christlike Living