Many years ago there was a missionary who served the Lord among the American Indians. His name was John Eliot. He was a kind man who was always helping poor Indians. He bought food and clothing for them, usually using his own money. Sometimes he had no money left to buy his own food.
One day a friend wanted to give him some money after noticing the missionary himself needed some things. However, this friend knew that Eliot would probably give away every penny before he reached home. So he asked Eliot for his handkerchief. After folding the money into the center, he tied several tight knots in the handkerchief before giving it back to Eliot.
On his way home Eliot met a poor Indian woman who was in real need. Eliot told her about the Lord Jesus Christ and His love for sinners. Then seeing that she needed some warm clothes and food, Eliot pulled out his handkerchief to give her some money. He struggled with the knots, but could not untie them. Finally, he placed the handkerchief in the woman’s hand saying, “I can’t get the knots untied. I think the Lord meant that you should have all this money.”
This little example from the life of John Eliot should speak to each one of us who is a Christian. The Lord Jesus has done so much for us, but how much do we do for Him? Do we give Him the best part of our lives? The gospel hymn, “I Gave My Life For Thee,” expresses it plainly:
I gave My life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou might’st ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou given for Me?
I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;
I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?
ML-04/18/1982