I’d guess that we both have that desire deep inside, but if we really were millionaires, what would we do with our lives? As a little girl, I read the story of Bill Borden, a college age kid, a millionaire, who chose to put aside his riches and go into missions work.
At age 16, Bill became burdened for people while he toured the world. When people told him he was throwing his life away in regards to missions, he wrote, “No reserves.” in the back of his Bible.
At Yale University the thing that stood out to his friends was not his money, but his total surrender to Christ. His freshman year, he prayed with one other person in the morning, which grew into a campus-wide prayer & Bible study. His sophomore year, they divided up their class list to reach each one. He was involved in city outreach and founded Yale Hope Mission.
After graduation he turned down job offers and wrote, “No retreats.” He decided to go to the Kansu people in China.
En route to China, he went to Egypt to study Arabic. Twenty-five years old, he died of spinal meningitis a month after contracting it in Egypt. He considered it a privilege to serve. Before he died he penned the words, “No regrets.”
Bill Borden actually went. He didn’t let the cares of this life and the riches of the world stop him from the most important thing – the gospel. He served with his whole heart and everything he had even before he went overseas. His life is one of challenge and inspiration to me, and I hope it inspires you too.
“No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” – Bill Borden
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