John G. Paton left his Scottish home in 1858 and sailed away to a distant country called the New Hebrides. On these hilly islands in the South Sea there lived savages of the worst kind. They were not friendly with strangers who came to visit them. You see, these people were called "cannibals". Cannibals not only killed unwanted visitors but sometimes they even ate them! People had already been killed on their shores.
But Mr. Paton knew the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. He felt that the Lord wanted him to preach to these savages. They needed to hear the story of how Jesus died to save them. If they heard and believed they would go to heaven. But if they ever heard they would die in their sins and go the hell. Mr. Paton did not want this to happen. Just like Elisha he had a choice to make. Would he stay and live in his comfortable house in Scotland? Or would he risk his life serving the Lord in this faraway land?
There were many that didn't want him to go. Some said he was wasting his life for nothing. Even some of his Christian friends thought he was going too far. One dear old man said, "The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!" Mr. Paton was not afraid. He answered that someday he would die anyway and be put in a grave. There he would probably be eaten by worms. he said, "It will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms. In the Resurrection Day my body will rise again as fair as yours. It will be perfect like the Lord's body."
Mr. Paton was determined to leave his home to teach God's salvation to people who had never heard the Gospel. His life was not easy. He had to eat strange food and the hot, wet weather made him very sick. His wife and child died. Sometimes the natives tried to kill him. But the Lord rewarded him for his hard work. Many of the "savages" were won to Christ. They became his friends! It is a thrilling story to read.
Elisha also loved the Lord and wanted to have the power to do great things for Him. He left his parents and his work behind so that he could teach the word of God to others. He was not always liked by everyone because he spoke against their sins. Do you think his life was a waste? If so, you need to see the value of a soul through God's eyes. Without the gospel, people perish.
Are you saved? You may not be called to preach to cannibals. But all true believers want to serve the Lord in some way (Matthew 7:20). It may be as easy as speaking to your school friends about Christ. Mr. Paton was glad to be able to live for the Lord who died for him. So was Elisha. Are you?
Shelly McKenna
