Augustine of Hippo (November 354 AD to August 430),
A man who greatly influenced the western church, and who also influenced the likes of Martin Luther and many other Catholic priests before and after the Reformation. I am always reminded of the words of Twila Paris when I contemplate the life of this individual:
"There once was a man born of high circumstance, heir to advantage, he had every chance to succeed, but the light from the cross made his dreams appear small and to their surprise he would follow the call.
For the love of his Savior, for one priceless jewel, they could not understand, so they called him a fool."
Augustine was a man born into the upper class, a man who enjoyed a life of leisure and the company of concubines. He was an educated man and a Roman citizen, but would later forsake this life of ease to follow in the steps of our Lord and preach the gospel.
There were other men like this, who would respond to the call of God upon their hearts and see all else as temporal. The song excerpt above speaks to the lives and likes of Nate Saint and Eric Liddell, one who would leave a life of advantage and the other walk away from athletic fame and glory.
Eric Liddell's life is portrayed in the movie Chariots of Fire, and it is still one of my favorite movies to this day. He stood up to both king and country for what he believed and later died on the mission field. He was a brilliant runner, and an Olympic medalist, who saw those gifts as belonging to God and to His glory.
"He is no fool, who would choose
To give the thing he cannot keep
To buy what he can never lose" - Twila Paris
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