Hudson Taylor the nineteenth century missionary to Chine, describes his life changing decision to live by God’s tape measure instead of his own.
Not many months after my conversion, having a leisure afternoon, I retired tomy chamber to spend it largely in communion with God. Well do I remember that occasion. How in the gladness of my heart I poured out my soul before Godl and again and again confessing my grateful love to Him who had done everything for me – who had saved me when I had given up all hope and even desire for salvation – I besought him to give me some work to do for Him, as an outlet of love and gratitude… The presence of God became unutterable real and blessed; and though but a child under sixteen, I remember stretching myself on teh ground, and lying ther silent before Him with unspeakable awe and unspeakable joy.
He became convinced the Lord was calling him to China, though he knew it would be impossible without the Spirit’s power. he went to visit his local church minister and shared with him what the Lord was calling him to do.”Ah my boy as you grow older you will get wiser that that,” the minister warned him. “Such an idea would do very well in the days when Christ himself was on earth, but not now.” Hudson Taylor reflects: “I have grown older since then, but not wiser. I am more than ever convinced that if we were to take the directions of our Master and the assurances he gave to his disciples more fully as our guiode, we should find them to be just as suited to our times as to those in which they were originally given.”
Phil Moore
From the book “Straight to the Heart of 1 & 2 Corinthians: 60 Bite-sized Insights (The Straight to the Heart Series)”