50 Quotes by Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot, a resolute clergyman, remains an emblem of unwavering devotion to faith and compassion. His profound legacy lies in his commitment to reaching the unreached, as he ventured into uncharted territories to spread Christianity among indigenous communities. Elliot's profound words, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose," encapsulate his sacrificial spirit. His tragic death at the hands of the very people he sought to help underscores the complexity of his mission. Elliot's life story underscores the enduring power of faith and the profound impact an individual can have when they transcend their comfort zone to serve a higher purpose.

Jim Elliot Quotes


He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

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Rest in this - it is His business to lead, command, impel, send, call... It is your business to obey, follow, move, respond.

Live every day as if the Son of Man were at the door, and gear your thinking to the fleeting moment. Just how can it be redeemed? Walk as if the next step would carry you across the threshold of Heaven. Pray. That saint who advances on his knees never retreats.

God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him. (Meaning)

The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for, but we must believe that whatever it involves, it is good, acceptable and perfect.

Lord, give me firmness without hardness, steadfastness without dogmatism, love without weakness.

Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.

Lord, make my way prosperous not that I achieve high station, but that my life be an exhibit to the value of knowing God.

Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.

Always seek peace between your heart and God, but in this world, always be careful to remain ever-restless, never satisfied, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.

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It makes me boil when I think of the power we profess and the utter impotency of our action. Believers who know one-tenth as much as we do are doing one-hundred times more for God, with His blessing and our criticism. Oh if I could write it, preach it, say it, paint it, anything at all, if only God's power would become known among us.

Wherever you are - be all there.

Feast of Stephen, Deacon, First Martyr, the man who will not act until he knows all will never act at all.

Children are arrows in a quiver, and they are to be trained as missionaries and shot at the Devil.

We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with.... Oh that God would make us dangerous!

Our young men are going into the professional fields because they don't 'feel called' to the mission field. We don't need a call; we need a kick in the pants. We must begin thinking in terms of 'going out,' and stop our weeping because 'they won't come in.' Who wants to step into an igloo? The tombs themselves are not colder than the churches. May God send us forth.

Father, take my life, yea, my blood if Thou wilt, and consume it with Thine enveloping fire. I would not save it, for it is not mine to save. Have it Lord, have it all. Pour out my life as an oblation for the world. Blood is only of value as it flows before Thine altar

The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for.

When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do is die.

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It's hard to steer a parked car.

That saint who advances on his knees never retreats.

Desire is the putting of my will into God’s concern. It’s not a passive, sitting back in your easy chair, folding your arms sort of thing, which says, 'Well, I’m willing, if God would only give me a good swift kick and send me.' That’s willingness all right. But God doesn’t want willingness, He wants will! He wants your will put behind those desires.

Ps 119:89-91: The settled Word in Heaven makes for a solid foundation on earth and a safe path for today.

If we are the sheep of His pasture, remember that sheep are headed for the altar.

Why do you need a voice when you have a verse?

Eternity shall be at once a great eye-opener and a great mouth-shutter.

Dreams are tawdry when compared with the leading of God, and not worthy of the aura of wonder we usually surround them with. God only doeth wonders. He does nothing else. His hand can work nothing less.

Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.

I have felt the impact of your prayer in these past weeks. I am certain now that nothing has had a more powerful infl uence on this life of mine than your prayers.

I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you Lord Jesus.

What good are Greek, commentaries, insight, gift, and all the rest, if there is no heart for Christ?

Oh, the fullness, pleasure, sheer excitement of knowing God on earth!

It is true that a fellow cannot ignore women - but he can think of them as he ought - as sisters, not as sparring partners.

He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose.

The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will the ultimate Word from God.

Ninety-five percent of our wool is going to China.

Unwillingness to accept God's 'way of escape' from temptation frightens me - what a rebel yet resides within.

As your life is in His hands, so are the days of your life. But don’t let the sands of time get into the eye of your vision to reach those who sit in darkness. They simply must hear.

I couldn’t have asked for more than God in deliberate grace has surprised me with!

Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living. (Meaning)

Rest in this-it is His business to lead, command, impel, send, call, or whatever you want to call it. It is your business to obey, follow, move, respond, or what have you... The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will be the ultimate Word from God.

The will of God is sweet tonight, altogether ‘good and acceptable and perfect.’ The considerate love of the Lord Jesus for us seems such a kind thing now. I know it has always been so, but somehow I didn’t see how wise it was when it didn’t seem kind… Remind me of this when I cannot regard His love as considerate some time.

God is still on His throne, we're still on His 'footstool,' and there's only a knee's distance between!

Grieve not, then, if your sons seem to desert you, but rejoice, rather, seeing the will of God done gladly.

Those whimpering Stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it - while these never heard of such a thing as writing.

Surely those who know the great passionate heart of Jehovah must deny their own loves to share in the expression of His.

I do not know how to make a man think seriously about sin and judgment, and must look to the work of the Holy Spirit for any hint of such a working.

I many no longer depend on pleasant impulses to bring me before the Lord. I must rather response to principles I know to be right, whether I feel them to be enjoyable or not.

Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores - more than abundantly - what it takes away.

Singleness, simplicity, is required of me. One treasure, a single eye, and a sole Master!

So many missionaries, intent on doing something, forget that His main work is to make something of them.

Eagles are very tolerant and very adaptable, but they have to get established first. When birds are setting up their breeding territory, they are the most susceptible to being discouraged.

God deliver me from the dread asbestos of “other things.” Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame.

Missionaries are very human folks, simply a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt somebody.

God, I pray light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn up for thee.

Be on guard, my soul, of complicating your environment so that you have neither time nor room for growth!

I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man.

None of it gets to be 'old stuff', for it is Christ in print, the Living Word. We wouldn't think of rising in the morning without a facewash, but we often neglect that purgative cleansing of the Word of the Lord. It wakes us up to our responsibility

No one warns young people to follow Adam's example. He waited till God saw his need. Then God made Adam sleep, prepared for his mate, and brought her to him.

Birds are extremely valued as indicators of overall environmental health. If there's a problem in a wild bird population, it's indicative that something went wrong.

For my generation I must have the oracles of God in fresh terms.

The shiny paint laid on by curiosity's hand has worn off. What thing better can a man know than the love of Christ, which passes knowledge?

― Jim Elliot Quotes

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Chief Editor

Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.

 
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