Will your forsake all for the sake of Christ?
Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Seminary, exhorted students to do just this at the 2019 fall convocation service at the beginning of the semester. Using the life of missionary Ann Hasseltine Judson in conjunction with Psalm 147, President Akin paints a picture of what a life surrendered to Christ and His cause truly looks like.
To hear more, watch the video above or read some key excerpts below.
“I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” ”
“Following Jesus is not a game. Following Jesus is a call to forsake to all. And the hope that arises even in the midst of the difficult and painful circumstances that the Psalmist experienced, and that Ann Judson experienced, should inspire all of us to greater faithfulness and greater trust and greater devotion to our Lord.”
God hears the cries of your heart (v. 1-2)
In describing her own conversion, Ann Judson wrote: “In this state, I longed for annihilation ; and if I could have destroyed the existence of my soul, with as much ease as that of my body, I should quickly have done it. But that glorious Being, who is kinder to his creatures than they are to themselves, did not leave me to remain long in this distressing sate. I began to discover a beauty in the way of salvation by Christ. He appeared to be just such a Saviour as I needed. I saw how God could be just, in saving sinners through him. I committed my soul into his hands, and besought him to do with me what seemed good in his sight.”
“The way she thinks is so absolutely foreign to most people in our evangelical churches today. ‘I’ll serve the Lord if it’s convenient.’ ‘I’ll serve the Lord if it’s safe.’ Praise God that was not the way Adoniram and Ann Judson thought.”
God Knows What You’re Going Through (v 3.-4)
“We’ve all been there, haven’t we? There have been times in your life when the weight of life and the experiences of life weighed down upon you so heavily that you did not think you could take another breath much less take a step… We should not be surprised when God takes us into the deep, deep valley to show us that even there He is with us.”
“We have a God who anywhere, anytime and under any circumstances hears our prayers.”
God Will Deliver You as Your Refuge (v. 5-7)
“Ann Judson would experience the truth of verse seven, but not in the way that perhaps we expected or hoped. Yes, there would not be a ‘gathering of the righteous’ around her on earth, but I suspect there was a glorious gathering of the righteous around her in heaven.”
