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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Book-Happy!














I recently ordered a bunch of wonderfully rich, classic Christian books from the online store Kingsley Press. They are currently having an incredible sale on most of their books! With authors like A.W. Tozer and Leonard Ravenhill, you know you can't go wrong.

I ordered myself copies of Lilias Trotter's books again. After giving my original copies away to a friend, I was anxiously awaiting to have them back again in my book collection. These books have traveled far and wide with me; the impact that these writings from Lilias have had on my life can hardly be expressed. Her simple teachings on Gospel-living led me to Christ in some of my most grievous and painful trials. As a result, these two small books have significant, personal meaning to me. Lilias Trotter was a missionary to the muslims in Algeria near the end of the 19th century. Her life was laid down at a very young age and the Lord greatly used her as a poured-out vessel to reach the souls of the Muslim world.

The lovely illustrations and paintings by Lilias Trotter truly set apart her books from others. They complement her writings wonderfully well!
Chosen vessels to bear His Name - His personality; with all that is wrapped up in that Name of fragrance and healing, authority and power; chosen to go about this weary sinful world with the living Christ folded in our hearts, ready and able as of old to meet the need around. Is not this a calling for which it is worth counting, as St. Paul did, all things but loss?

Chosen vessels - there is the vessel and there is the treasure in it, for ever distinct, though in wonderful union, like the seed-vessel and the seed: the one enshrines the other.

God builds up a shrine within us of His workmanship, from the day in which Jesus was received. The seed-vessel is its picture. With the old nature He can have nothing to do except to deliver it to death: no improving can fit it for His purpose, any more than the leaf or tendril, however beautiful, can be the receptacle of the seed. There must be "a new creation" (R.V., margin), "the new man," to be the temple of the Divine Life.

~ Lilias Trotter, Parables of the Christ-Life

Oh, that we may learn to die to all that is of self with this royal joyfulness that swallows up death in victory in God's world around! He can make every step of the path full of the triumph of gladness that glows in the golden leaves. Glory be to His Name!

And the outcome, like the outcome of the autumn, is this: there is a new power set free; a power of multiplying life around. The promise to Christ was that because He poured forth His soul unto death, He should see His seed: and He leads His children in their little measure by the same road. Over and over the promise of seed is linked with sacrifice, as with Abraham and Rebekah and Ruth; those who at His bidding have forsaken all receive an hundred-fold more now in this time, for sacrifice is God's factor in His work of multiplying. "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

It is the poured-out life that God blesses - the life that heeds not itself, if only other souls may be won. "Ask and it shall be given unto you" is one of God's nursery lessons to His children. "Give, and it shall be given unto you" comes further on.

~ Lilias Trotter, Parables of the Cross

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