Picking Up The Cross

When it comes to books, my favorites are biographies. Long before going to the mission field, I devoured as many books written about missionaries as I could find. Missionaries from the 1700 and 1800s became my heroes. Not only did these Godly people have a passion for taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to the lost, but many of them were willing to follow their call into lands that were primitive, unexplored, and dangerous.

I know you’ve heard of Dr. David Livingstone. Born in Scotland in 1813, he gave his life to Christ as a young man. Later, he sailed for Africa, dedicating himself to a country that basically had never heard the Gospel. Imagine if you will how hard it would be to evangelize small villages of people that were literally scattered over hundreds of miles, all of them far from civilization. Today, that same area covers ten different nations in Africa.

Dr. Livingstone was not without his critics. Some accounts of his life from the 1800s are very hard on him. He has been blamed for his wife becoming an alcoholic and for leaving his children without a father while he traipsed all over Africa. However, few would deny that his influence can be seen today. Wikipedia reports that in the year 2000, there were an estimated 380 million Christians in Africa.

In heaven, Dr. Livingstone will no doubt receive many rewards, including millions of souls who will stand and testify that they were saved because he dared give his all and take the Gospel to Africa. It challenges me to do great things for God and to deny myself, pick up my cross, and follow Him.