A Tribute to Don Rulison
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at 8:00AM “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course, I have kept the faith"
(2 Timothy 4:7)
Surely this is a verse that every believer in Christ hopes to be able to say as they complete their race. If we are honest, our failings keep us from making any prideful assumptions, only an understanding that it will be but by God's magnanimous grace.
It is a comfort to know that God uses earthen vessels, but use us He does, and it is His desire to continue to do so to the end of our days. Will we let Him to the end? Can we put aside thoughts of our last years being a time that is spent for ourselves?
While it is easy to look at men who laid down their young lives for God's kingdom (such as Jim Elliott or Nate Saint) and be challenged by their dedication, it is even more challenging to consider lives lived faithfully over the long haul. Let me share a quote from my Beth Moore Bible Study this week as been ringing in my ears.
True God-seekers do not outlive their usefulness. If we're still here, God's still working.
Bernie and I have been challenged and encouraged over the past years by a dear brother from our days at the Evangelical Institute. Don Rulison, along with his wife Kathy, served God in China until the communist regime forced them out. They continued their service for many years to the Hmong refugees in Thailand until Kathy's cancer led them to return to the US. We were so thrilled to receive his letter a couple of years ago saying that He was returning to Thailand. While he would have every worldly reason to retire and enjoy his leisure in the comforts of the US, he chose to seek his joy in His King's service.
Today we received his October prayer letter encouraging his supporters to pray for those who faced persecution. At 92 his eye is still on his Reward. His closing statement,“I don't know if or when I shall send another update" was bittersweet. He has chosen not to have invasive heart surgery.
We feel privileged and honored to have known this man whose eyes were never far from the harvest fields. May God give us grace to follow his lead.
Reader Comments (2)
Renee, you don't know me, but i occasionally visit your site and read your blogs. i find your entries amusing, entertaining, encouraging, and challenging. thank you for sharing your mongolia experiences with us and for being so real.
Thanks for the update on the senior Rulisons. I knew of them as a child, when they were on ? sabbatical? in the States, and I went online to see if I could find any information. It is truly inspiring to hear of someone so dedicated to the spread of the Gospel.