On Which I Comment on Work

I love reading Laurie's blog, Beauty for Ashes. I like her deep insight and her ability to write words that are rich with meaning. Today she comments on Elizabeth Elliot's book, Through Gates of Splendor, and especially on Elizabeth's second Epilogue to the book. I hope you will go to her post for today (click here) and read her comments.

Elizabeth and her husband, Jim Elliot, were with a group of young missionaries who were hoping to reach a particular tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. In January 1956 Jim and his companions, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming and pilot Nate Saint, were killed by tribesmen. I remember as a child reading the 10-page article with accompanying photographs published in Life Magazine about the event.

Elizabeth Elliot is a woman of grace. I hope you will read Laurie's blog today and in particular, please note the words in Bold in the last paragraph of Elliot's epilogue.

Those words point out very clearly that it is not our "good works" that accomplish anything. If anything is accomplished, anything of merit, or anything good, or anything that glorifies God, it is because God is the one who works in us and through us. The work is His. To paraphrase Elliot....It is God who calls, God who causes, God who summons. And He does it for His own purposes. The entire work is God's and God's alone. That's why we give Him praise and worship and thankfulness. And we do so Humbly.

Philippians 2:12-13. "....work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

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