Holding Nothing in Reserve
Throughout history, countless missionaries have made significant sacrifices to spread the gospel around the world. Their mission is rooted in Jesus’s Great Commission, which calls us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Notable examples include the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys across the Roman Empire and the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip (Acts 8:26-40). Many modern-day missionaries serve as examples for us, as Christ followers, demonstrating faithful servanthood in the face of persecution and hardship. One such pastor and missionary I would like to highlight is a young man named William Whiting
Borden, who passed away much too early.
Borden was born into an extremely wealthy family, with his father owning a successful mining business. He attended an excellent private school and could have chosen to partake in all the luxuries this life could offer. From a young age, Borden was a member of Moody Church and embodied the spirit of Luke 10:27, which states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” At just eight years old, William expressed his aspirations by writing, “I want to be an honest man when I grow up—a true and loving, kind, and faithful man.” (1)
With his love for Christ, William began preparing for a life of ministry while attending Yale, and then Princeton Seminary under the teachings of B.B. Warfield and Geerhardus Vos. Even while focusing on his studies, he had an awareness of the many people around him who still desperately needed to hear the gospel of Jesus. Borden was resolute to leverage his wealth not for personal gain but instead spent half a million dollars to ensure that thousands in his city had food to eat and a place to sleep. With the Lord’s help, he engaged in this ministry work while serving as a fraternity president and being a top student in his class. He did not allow the busyness of life to become an excuse; instead, he relentlessly pursued the goal of sharing the gospel where he was, while his busy life continued on.
Borden was ordained as a gospel minister in 1912, but taking over the family business was never part of God’s plan for him. After years of study and preparation for ministry, Borden committed himself to serve the Muslim people of China. To better equip him for this work, he decided to study in Cairo, Egypt, where he learned both Arabic and Islamic culture, spending a year in preparation. Just as he was about to continue his studies in medicine back in England, Borden contracted spinal meningitis and tragically passed away at the early age of twenty-five. Borden stated just before he left for the mission field, “With no reserve, and no delay, with all my heart I come.” Borden never had the opportunity to serve in the manner and place that he believed God was preparing him for. However, he was certainly serving the way God wanted him to along the journey to get there.
The point is this – William Borden held nothing back to spend or use on himself. It was all for Christ, with nothing left in reserve. He did not choose the comfortable and lavish lifestyle, and once he committed to taking the gospel to the nations, there was no retreat, and a no-return policy. On his deathbed at the youthful age of twenty-five, Borden had zero regret for not choosing the easy and comfortable life; he was more concerned about his mother’s grief should he die. We all need to examine our lives so that we are living them with these things in mind.
The life for the Christian is with an open hand, not holding anything back that can be used for the kingdom of God, producing a legacy of fruit, and with the mentality that no time is wasted, should we spend all our time that God has ordained this side of Heaven to proclaim the name of Christ!
(1) Tim Challies. https://www.challies.com/christian-men-and-their-godly-moms/the-power-of-a-mothers-surrender-christian-men-and-their-godly-moms/ .
