Day 4
Memory Verse: I John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Read I John 3
You may be wondering, why unqualified love in the face of fear? Why not love in the face of hatred or rejection or loneliness or any number of things? Well, the truth is love stands against all of them and much more. But I think that, as we see in our memory verse this week, fear is the enemy of love. We may be afraid of rejection, but love tells us there is nothing we must do to earn it. We may fear consequences, but love covers a multitude of sins. Death may terrify us, but love conquers death. Hatred is a monster, but love is greater – every time.
Switching gears now, I want to look at a modern day love story. You may have seen the movie End of the Spear. What a powerful message of unqualified love! There are so many amazing men and women in this story, but I want to focus on Elisabeth Elliot, who has been called one of the most influential women of our time.
Elisabeth was born in Belgium to missionary parents. Her upbringing planted in her a heart a desire to see lost souls won for Christ, especially in Ecuador. She set out to learn the Quechuan language so she could translate the Bible for the Ecuadorian indigenous people to read. She had met her future husband, Jim Elliot, in college, and their shared passion for the people of Ecuador and for mission work brought them together. They were married in 1953 and had a daughter in 1955. Jim and some of his missionary friends felt led by the Lord to reach a vicious and militant tribe of indigenous Ecuadorians called the Aucas. They were not afraid, but loved this tribe despite their murderous reputation. Things seemed to be going well, until members of the tribe brutally murdered Jim and the others while they were attempting to make contact. Elisabeth was left alone with her 10 month old daughter to raise.
But the story doesn’t end there…
If there was anyone undeserving of Elisabeth’s love, it was the Aucan people. If there was ever reason to fear, Elisabeth sure had it. But Elisabeth did something remarkable! Despite the fear she must have felt about setting out without her husband and the fear this tribe must have instilled in her considering they were cold blooded killers, she looked past their lack of qualifications, and loved them with God’s unqualified love. She and Rachel Saint, the sister of one of the other missionaries who died with Jim, learned the language of the Aucas and moved into their tribe! They established a written language and led many of the tribe to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! Elisabeth’s and Rachel’s unqualified love for the unqualified Aucas in the face of fear led to a total change for that tribe!
“Cruelty and wrong are not the greatest forces in the world. There is nothing eternal in them. Only love is eternal.” Elisabeth Eliot
Elisabeth recognized that only through the Lord and His eternal, unqualified love, can we love the unqualified. May we learn to love like Elisabeth and Rachel.