James Hudson Taylor (1832 – 1905)
Christian missionary to China in the Methodist tradition, and founder of the China Inland Mission (renamed as Overseas Missionary Fellowship, OMF International in 1964).
On September 13, 1888, Jonathan Goforth, famed Canadian pioneer Presbyterian missionary to China, made his first exploration tour of North Honan. Honan was considered one of the most anti-foreign and dangerous parts of China. Yet God had called Goforth to it. Hudson Taylor wrote him, “We have been trying, unsuccessfully, for ten years, to get into Honan. We’ve been beaten, stoned, and turned back time and again. Brother, if you would enter that province, you must go forward on your knees!
How important, therefore, to learn before leaving England to move man through God by prayer alone.
Self-denial surely means somethings far greater than some slight and insignificant lessening of our self-indulgences!
Devotion to GOD is still a voluntary thing; hence the differences of attainment among Christians.”
We shall find that Separation to GOD is followed by Blessing from GOD; and that those who receive large blessing from Him, in turn render to Him acceptable Service; service in which GOD takes delight, and which He places in everlasting remembrance.
You are not sent to preach death and sin and judgment, but life and holiness and salvation – not to be a witness against the people, but to be a witness for God – to preach the good news – Christ Himself.
If there was more true abiding in Christ, there would be less selfish abiding at home.
A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in little things is a great thing.
Where the need is greatest let us be found gladly obeying the MASTER’S command. For it is in the harvest-field, it is among the reapers, that we shall find Him.
After proving God’s faithfulness for many years, I can testify that times of want have ever been times of spiritual blessing, or have led to them.
If I had a thousand pounds, China should have it. If I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! not China, but Christ. Can we do too much for Him?
All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.
I so want you to realise this principle of working with God and asking Him for everything. If the work is at the command of God, then we can go to Him in full confidence for workers; and when God gives the workers, we can go to Him for means to supply their needs.
The use of means ought not to lessen our faith in GOD; and our faith in GOD ought not to hinder our using whatever means He has given us for the accomplishment of His own purposes.
If this is a real work for God it is a real conflict with Satan.
Our eyes must be upon the Lord, not upon His people. His means – not ours, not theirs, but His means are large; and to a faithful steward He will prove a faithful master.
Many there are who fail to see that there can be but one lord, and that those who do not make GOD Lord of all do not make Him Lord at all.
The Apostolic plan was not to raise ways and means, but to go and do the work.
The work of a true missionary is work indeed, often very monotonous, apparently not very successful, and carried on through great and varied but unceasing difficulties.
Wave after wave of trial rolled over us; but at the end of the year some of us were constrained to confess, that we had learned more of the loving-kindness of the Lord than in any previous year of our lives.