William Borden was the young heir of the Borden Dairy Estate. When he graduated high school, he went on a trip to the far East and God began to place a burden on his heart for mission work.
He decided that he was going to answer the call and spread the Gospel, and he wrote these words in the back of his Bible—“No Reserves.”
Then he graduated from college. All his friends were going off to big careers, making a lot of money. His family had him all lined up to inherit the family business.
But William Borden had already made up his mind. He wrote in the back of his Bible—“No Retreats.”
He set out to China, to spread the Gospel as a missionary. Before he could reach China, he had to go through Egypt. And while in Egypt, on his way to fulfill the call of God, he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died.
When his family received his body, in the back of his Bible were the words—“No Reserves, No Retreats,” and Borden had added a final entry: “No Regrets.”
No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.
William Borden wasn’t shot, beaten, or crucified; but he died doing what he lived for, and he gave his all.
No reserves—Let there be no place in me where I have reservations about the Great Commission.
No retreats—When it gets tough, when it gets hard, for the rest of my life, I’m going forward with God.
No regrets—I’m giving it all. I won’t regret not having given more. I’m putting it all on the table.
The Apostles and these men were not ashamed. They changed the world.
You know who didn’t change the world?—People who just came and went. Those who wouldn’t stand against the spirit of this world, but were friendly with it. Those who wouldn’t stand against the complacency of the church, but sat on a pew and got comfortable. Those who wouldn’t stand against the wickedness of those in power, but just went along with the sin of the day.
But the men and women who changed the world gave their whole lives for the God they believed in. And they didn’t just believe in Him; they knew Him.
I want to be a witness for Christ. A martyr.
I want to die doing what I lived for.
And if it comes to it, I want to be willing to die for the cause of Christ.
I pray, “God, make us fearless. Make us bold. Give us authority from Heaven to preach the Gospel to a world that’s dying and full of darkness and that desperately needs light, life, love, and hope.
Anoint us to preach Your Gospel in our homes, in our schools, on our jobs, and everywhere we go.
The Azusa Weekly 