Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24.
Those who labor as Christ, the great Medical Missionary, labored, must be spiritual-minded. But not all who are doing medical missionary work are exalting God and His truth. Not all are submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit....
I pray that I may have wisdom and power from God to present to you that which constitutes gospel medical missionary work. This is a great and important branch of our denominational work. But many have lost sight of the pure, ennobling principles underlying acceptable medical missionary work....
What language could so forcibly express God's love for the human family as it is expressed by the gift of His only-begotten Son for our redemption. The Innocent bore the chastisement of the guilty. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ...
Study Christ's definition of a true missionary: “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Following Christ, as spoken of in these words, is not a pretense.... Jesus expects His disciples to follow closely in His footsteps, enduring what He endured, suffering what He suffered, overcoming as He overcame. He is anxiously waiting to see His professed followers revealing the spirit of self-sacrifice.
Those who receive Christ as a personal Saviour, choosing to be partakers of His suffering, to live His life of self-denial, to endure shame for His sake, will understand what it means to be a genuine medical missionary.
When all our medical missionaries live the new life in Christ, when they take His Word as their guide, they will have a much clearer understanding of what constitutes genuine medical missionary work. This work will have a deeper meaning to them when they obey the law engraven on the tables of stone by the finger of God, including the Sabbath commandment, concerning which Christ Himself spoke through Moses to the children of Israel....
I am instructed to say, Follow your Leader. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is your example. Upon all medical missionary workers rests the responsibility of keeping in view Christ's life of unselfish service. They are to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.—Pacific Union Recorder, December 17, 1903.
From Reflecting Christ - Page 230
Reflecting Christ