Turning from Self-Preservation

John G. Paton (1824-1907) was a missionary to the New Hebrides islands (now Vanuatu). As Mr. Paton was preparing to go overseas he faced opposition from people within the church. Those whom he was seeking to reach for Christ were cannibals, so there were some who sought to dissuade him on account of the danger that he would encounter.

Another time an old Christian tried to discourage him from going by warning him, ‘The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!’
John replied by reminding him that he himself was an old man, who could expect to die soon, and to be laid in the grave, where his body would be eaten by worms. John then went on: ‘If I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.’*

How easy it would have been to capitulate to the “wisdom” of this older saint. Unlike Nehemiah, John Paton wasn’t facing opposition from his enemies but rather seemingly well-meaning Christians. Perseverance in this case requires dead certainty that God has not only called you to a task but has also provide the necessary resources in Christ to complete the task.

*Quoted from Jim Cromarty, King of the Cannibals: The Story of John G. Paton (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2002), 65.