Sermon Illustrations
African Leader Sticks to God's Call
In his book Pursuing Justice, Ken Wystma tells the following story about an African Christian leader who has spent years helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Wytsma writes:
He was born and raised in what is one of the most war-torn regions on the globe today—eastern Congo. His life is regularly threatened, and he faces the seemingly impossible task of trying to restore villages decimated by rape, murder, and plunder.
Some visiting executives from a large, well-known global relief organization once toured the region. They noticed what an effective job my friend was doing, and offered him a position as the leader of their Congo operations. He quickly turned them down.
On paper it was the kind of offer you can't refuse—higher pay, more security, great influence. A dream promotion for most Westerners. But he refused for a simple reason. He said, God gave me the job I have, he's helped me build the relationships and the respect that I have. He has opened the door for me all these years and kept me safe on every trip out into the bush. I'm right where God has called me to be, so why would I go anywhere else? I don't just want to do good. I want to be where God wants me to be.