Who Will Go
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking:
Who will I send? Who will go for us?” - Isaiah 6:8 csb
I’ve been reading the journals of Jim Elliot. Jim was one of five missionaries martyred in 1956 during Operation Auca, an effort to share the gospel with the Huaroani people of Ecuador. I first learned about Jim when I was a missionary living abroad in Mallorca, Spain, with my wife and two children. From the moment I heard their story, I was captivated. I’ve always admired those brave men who left behind the comforts and conveniences of America to bring Jesus to an unreached people group deep in the jungle. Jim’s story, in particular, has always fascinated me. Every time I read his words or hear about his life, I find myself moved to tears. I can’t fully explain why—it just happens.
Tonight, as I prepare my Christmas Eve message, I felt compelled to read today’s entry in Jim’s journal. In it, he reflects on the prophet Isaiah and the words God spoke to him. What struck me most was a quote Jim tried to recall from another missionary, Amy Carmichael:
“If thy dear home be fuller, Lord,
For that a little emptier my house on earth,
What rich reward that guerdon were!”
I had to read it several times to fully grasp its meaning. Here it is in simpler terms:
“If my earthly home is a little emptier so that your heavenly home is fuller, Lord, what a great reward that would be!”
This quote, first from Amy and then echoed by Jim, captures a profound willingness to sacrifice for God’s kingdom. It expresses the joy found in contributing to His Kingdom. Isaiah 6 tells us that when God asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah, like Jim and Amy, responded, “Here I am. Send me.” (Vs9). They all understood the great sacrifices their lives would demand for the expansion of God’s Kingdom and still joyfully said, “Send us, Lord, so that your house may be fuller because we were willing to give up our own.”
They saw their lives as insignificant compared to the work, and calling of the Lord. They grasped the urgency of bringing the “Good News” (Isaiah 40:9) to those who had never heard it. They understood the privilege of being sent and took to heart Jesus’ words: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). What an incredible perspective they all had. No matter how much they gave up, they knew they would receive much greater. You cannot out give God.
How I long to be like Jim, like Amy, like Isaiah—ready and willing to say, “Here I am. Send me.” I pray I may never lose that willingness to go where He calls.
”But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived — God has prepared these things for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 csb
Agape, Frank
Don’t Plead Ignorance
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 csb
What’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom? It’s often said that wisdom is the application of knowledge. For example, I might learn a new trade in a classroom, gaining knowledge, but when I take that knowledge into the field and apply it, I begin to walk in wisdom. This is a simple way to understand the difference between the two. In the book of Hosea, God warned His people that they would be destroyed for a lack of knowledge. That’s a sobering statement. But it raises the question: what knowledge were they lacking?
Fast forward to when Jesus walked the earth 2,000 years ago. He declared that He always did the will of His Father, saying, “The things I do, I see My Father do.” Jesus intimately knew the Father and remained perfectly connected to Him. To know (verb) something is to have knowledge (noun) of it. So, what exactly did Christ know? He knew the will of His Father. And what was the Father's will? Jesus Himself explained it in John 12:46: “I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness.”
Jesus came as a light to the world, sent because of God’s immense love for humanity. His mission was to bring clarity, hope, and direction to those in spiritual darkness. The Greek word for "darkness" in John 12:46 is skotia, which metaphorically refers to ignorance of divine things—a state often linked with wickedness. So when God declared through Hosea that His people would be destroyed for a lack of knowledge, He was pointing to their deliberate ignorance of His divine law and nature. Despite having been given the Torah, they chose to reject it. In the New Testament, God sent His Son to illuminate what the Law truly meant and to fulfill it perfectly. But Jesus didn’t stop there—He also became the ultimate sin offering for humanity. The Gospel message has since gone out into the world. Yet, many who hear it still choose ignorance, rejecting Christ and His teachings. Scripture makes it clear that such a choice leads to destruction.
However, for those who believe, the story is different. Jesus, the expressed image of the invisible God, declared that faith in Him frees us from darkness and ignorance. When we apply His teachings in our lives, we move from knowledge to wisdom. As Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Choosing Christ today means stepping into His light, walking in the wisdom of God, and living in His truth. This is the essence of wisdom: not just knowing about God, but living in His will and reflecting His light in the world.
Agape, Frank