A Chance To Die

Last month I finally finished a great book that I highly recommend! A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot is the biography of famous missionary Amy Carmichael. She has long been one of my inspirations in the faith and this book was so filled with encouragement to pursue godliness. The fact that it took me two months to read it is not because it was boring, but because I didn't have much free time. I just wanted to share some of the things I learned and some memorable quotes:

Amy Carmichael....

...lived with the desire for a "single eye" toward serving, obeying and pleasing God.

...believed in praying fro God's provision of all things monetary and not seeking hand-outs.

...believed that every decision should be weighed with the question, "Does it have the seed of eternity in it?"

...when confined to a bed, still saught to serve God through writing books and letters of encouragement to others.

...highest aim was to be a simple follower of her Master who made Himself nothing, who took the form of the lowest slave in an eastern household.

...took every little thing to the Lord.

Those are just some observations about her character. She was a missionary who was used by God to save dozens of little girls in India from temple prostitution as well as other children who weren't wanted and women and men who desired to know about her King Jesus. Thus, she was given the name Amma- indian for "mother." She spent most of her life in her beloved India and died there surrounded by the people whom God chose to give to her.

Here are some of her quotes:

Dead to self- dead to all one's natural earthly plans and hopes, dead to all voices, however dear, which would deafen our ear to His.

Satan is so much more in earnest than we are- he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.

Nothing is worth doing at all, nothing is worth writing, which does not do something which will last.

If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider "not spiritual work" I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting then I know nothing of Calvary love.