E. Stanley Jones was a famous Methodist missionary to India for many years. In 1938, Time Magazine called Jones, "the world's greatest Christian missionary.”
In his book “A Song of Ascents,” he said that when he went to heaven, he was going to ask for twenty-four hours to rest for a little bit. Then he would ask for twenty-four hours to visit with friends and catch up on things.
He wrote after that: “Then I would like to go to Jesus and say, ‘This is wonderful, and I do not deserve to be here. But don’t you have a world that is fallen, and that needs an evangelist? Please send me.’”
E. Stanley Jones truly had the heart of an evangelist, of someone who proclaims the good news of Christ to all who would listen.
I don’t know about you, but I want more of that same spirit, the spirit that never gives up and that keeps on reaching out with the Gospel to a world of lost and hurting people. I want the kind of spirit that says, “Please send me.”
The prophet Isaiah heard the question of God, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” He responded by saying, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
We live in such challenging times. We really do. Maybe we could make a little bit of a positive difference somewhere, somehow, in our own way. With that in mind, may our prayer be this, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”