Is there a cause that is so dear to your heart that you would be willing to die for it? Jim Elliot was more than willing to give up his life to save souls in the jungles of Ecuador. In 1952, Jim moved to Ecuador to minister among the Indians of the jungle with one of his friends, Pete Fleming. While there, he was distressed over the tribe of Auca Indians—a distrusting, isolated people—who were known for killing others in cold blood. Jim wanted to reach these people with the Gospel, assisting in the fulfillment of the promise that people from every nation and tribe will stand before Jesus and worship Him at the end of the age. For the first few years of his mission work in Ecuador, he lived among and ministered to the Quichua Indians, while
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Jesus’ commission to believers to “go and make disciples” was what motivated Jim to go to great lengths to bring others into the kingdom of heaven. He was compelled to reach out to unreached people groups with the story of Jesus. He took the grave responsibility of the Indians’ eternal wellbeing into his hands and made himself personally responsible for their souls. The third reason that Jim should not be punished is that his family was not bitter. In a way, his wife Elisabeth and daughter Valerie were victims of his murder. They had lost their friend, their provider, their defender, yet Elisabeth’s faith kept her standing firm. Though she had unanswered questions, she was comforted by trusting in God’s promises and His goodness. She taught Valerie that her father’s death was not a tragedy; rather, it was God’s perfect, sovereign plan being played out in their lives. Some argue that Jim should be punished for risking his life. They say that he caused his family unwarranted grief by leaving them without a husband and father. Elisabeth and Valerie had to walk through their pain, which could have been avoided had Jim not given his life. However, causing his family grief was not Jim’s motive in risking his life. Jim had followed a higher calling—God’s plan for his life—and God gave his family the strength they needed to walk with Him through this
Jesus’ commission to believers to “go and make disciples” was what motivated Jim to go to great lengths to bring others into the kingdom of heaven. He was compelled to reach out to unreached people groups with the story of Jesus. He took the grave responsibility of the Indians’ eternal wellbeing into his hands and made himself personally responsible for their souls. The third reason that Jim should not be punished is that his family was not bitter. In a way, his wife Elisabeth and daughter Valerie were victims of his murder. They had lost their friend, their provider, their defender, yet Elisabeth’s faith kept her standing firm. Though she had unanswered questions, she was comforted by trusting in God’s promises and His goodness. She taught Valerie that her father’s death was not a tragedy; rather, it was God’s perfect, sovereign plan being played out in their lives. Some argue that Jim should be punished for risking his life. They say that he caused his family unwarranted grief by leaving them without a husband and father. Elisabeth and Valerie had to walk through their pain, which could have been avoided had Jim not given his life. However, causing his family grief was not Jim’s motive in risking his life. Jim had followed a higher calling—God’s plan for his life—and God gave his family the strength they needed to walk with Him through this