October 11, 2020
My wife Jessa and I have begun a practice of—in addition to praying together each night—reading a specific book together. After recently finishing, due to a desire to weave more joy and happiness in God into our lives, the excellent Desiring God by John Piper, we next turned to another topic that has been upon our hearts…
…missions work.
One book that was repeatedly recommended to us as an inspirational tale of someone who did a wonderful job spreading the good news of peace, love, joy, and salvation is entitled Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Biography of the Remarkable Indian Disciple of Jesus Christ. In this short and easy read, you can discover Indian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh's remarkable journeys and his spirit of simplicity, holiness, and sacrifice. The biography of Singh actually pairs quite well with a book directly written by Singh himself, entitled With and Without Christ, in which he explains his experience of meeting people with Christ and without Christ, and describes the joy and meaning behind what it means to live with Christ.
This is what Singh says about his life with Christ and without Christ. “Without Christ I was like a fish out of water, or like a bird in the water. With Christ I am in the ocean of Love, and while in the world, am in heaven…”
I have several other inspirational highlights from Singh's writings that I found quite meaningful, and that I hope speak to you on this blessed Sunday. This first quote reminded me of my article “Father's World” in which I explain how God created all things for good:
“There is no evil or harm in using any of God’s created things, provided that we do it with thankfulness and with a proper sense of their value. But danger lies in giving the Creator’s places in our heart to the creature. We should give to the Creator the Creator’s place, and to the creature the creature’s. We can neither live without water nor live in the water. We must drink, but not sink. If we do not drink we shall die of thirst; if we sink we shall die of drowning. So we must use the things of the world in such a way that, while they sustain our bodies, they do not become too strong for us and choke the vital breath of our lives, which is prayer.”
And this next one reminded me of my writing and musings on the God Shaped Hole in each of our hearts:
“In comparison with this big world, the human heart is only a small thing. Though the world is so large, it is utterly unable to satisfy this tiny heart. Man’s ever-groaning soul and its capacities can only be satisfied in the infinite God. As water is restless until it reaches its level, so the soul has not peace until it rests in God.”
Here is a good perspective on purpose, which I describe to you how to identify here:
“Now it is meant that everyone should fulfill in his life the purpose of his Creator and spend that life for the glory of God and the good of others. Everyone should follow his calling and carry on his work according to his God-given gifts and capacities. ‘There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit’ (I Cor. 12: 4, 11). The same breath is blown into flute, cornet, and bagpipe, but different music is produced according to the different instruments. In the same way the one Spirit works in us, God’s children, but different results are produced, and God is glorified through them according to each one’s temperament and personality.”
And finally, on not wasting one's life (which is outlined in great detail in another wonderful book by John Piper entitled, fittingly enough, Don't Waste Your Life):
“We ought to make the best possible use of God-given opportunities, and should not waste our precious time by our neglect or carelessness. Many people say, there is plenty of time to do this or that; don’t worry. But they do not realize that if they do not make good use of this short time, the habit formed now will be so ingrained, that when more ‘time’ is given to us this habit will become our second nature and we shall waste that time also. ‘He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much’ (Luke 16-10).”
For more, read Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Biography of the Remarkable Indian Disciple of Jesus Christ and also With and Without Christ. Now it's your turn. Which of these quotes spoke to you? What meaning did you find? What spiritual books are you currently reading that you would recommend to others?
Enjoying these so much Ben!
I clicked on the link to get the book. It is selling used for $869.97 on amazon!
I often times feel like a small “c” Christian… Like I am so under achieving compared to some of my Christian friends… But God keeps telling me to focus on the small things for now. Well a week ago two small things turned into at least medium sized “things“. Thanks Ben for leading us higher up the mountain where the air is fresher and the views are much clearer.
“Now it is meant that everyone should fulfill in his life the purpose of his Creator and spend that life for the glory of God and the good of others. Everyone should follow his calling and carry on his work according to his God-given gifts and capacities. ‘There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit’ (I Cor. 12: 4, 11). The same breath is blown into flute, cornet, and bagpipe, but different music is produced according to the different instruments. In the same way the one Spirit works in us, God’s children, but different results are produced, and God is glorified through them according to each one’s temperament and personality.”
I waited to post to make sure I get it as best I can…here goes…from my perspective…history and religion have taken the “sadhu” out of Christ/Jesus teachings…we may never really know for certain what the exact practices were (although there are some people who claim this and that meditation were practice by him); whatever the truth, I feel like your are a great example of trying to put them back. Body, Mind and Spirit are all together.
Good Morning Ben,
I just read from my Tony Dungy daily reader – John 2:15 and then your reading 1 hour later. My interpretation of both is don’t let yourself be manipulated by the trappings of this world and it takes effort to lead a Christian life in an “R” rated world. Add to that filling hole in life with Christ and I have a excellent start to to the day!
Thank you for taking time to share your Sunday with us, it is most appreciated.
Regards,
Joe Lucas
Why Jesus? Rediscovering His Truth in an Age of Mass Marketed Spirituality, By Ravi Zacharius is an amazing and very relevant book for the times we live in. I also like John Eldridge’s books including “Fathered by God”.
I love the third quote for so many reasons.
Yesterday, I told my daughter that I wished I had 2 more hours in my day, but immediately reflected that it probably wouldn’t help and that I just needed to be more efficient & effective with the time I do have. I know myself well enough that if I want to accomplish things I have to “front load” my day. I find I’m most productive earlier in the day and plan accordingly. And I know by nature, humans are creatures of habit, so I work around normal routines.
But as the quote says, wasting time becomes an ingrained habit… it’s like Robert Frost’s easy road verses the Road Less Traveled, except in our brains in terms of neural pathways that deepen with repetition…born out of neglect & carelessness.Whew! Did he just say wake up to the personal responsibility of your life?
Ben,
Great article. Desiring God and Don’t waste your life are both great John Piper books. Also another good missionary story is: Bruchko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-Year-Old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christianizing the Stone Age Tribe Paperback – Bargain Price, July 18, 2006. Your kids will also enjoy it.
God Bless,
Todd
another great sabbath article. thank you Ben! if anyone knows where the book can be purchased, can you post a site? I can’t find it anywhere but Amazon.com and it is currently priced at $404. Just a bit more than I planned to spend on the book.
Love this. Thanks for the book and author referral. Another author I’d recommend is Ravi Zachariah. Have a blessed day!