Maria Dyer was born in 1837 on the mission field in China where her parents were pioneer missionaries. Both her parents died when Maria was a little girl & she was sent back to England to be raised by an uncle.
The loss of her parents, however, did not deter her young
heart from the importance of sharing the gospel. At 16 she, along with her
sister, returned to China to work in a girl’s school as a missionary herself. 5
years later, she married Hudson Taylor, a man well-known today for his life of
faith & sacrifice.
Hudson & Maria’s work was often criticized - even by
other Christians. At one point Maria wrote:
“As to the harsh judging of the world, or the more painful
misunderstandings of Christian brethren, I generally feel that the best plan is
to go on with our work & leave God to vindicate our cause.”
Of their 9 children, only 4 survived to adulthood. Maria
herself died of cholera when she was just 43. But she believed the cause was
worthy of the sacrifice. On her grave these words were inscribed: “For her to
live was Christ, and to die was gain.” (Phi 1:21).
In a day when many are self-absorbed & care more about
what they can get rather than what they can give, we need a renewal of
sacrificial love.
It was God’s love for us that sent Jesus into the world to
die for our sins & it is that kind of giving love that our world needs so
greatly today.
When we love God as we should, our interests fade as we
magnify Him.
- ‘The Jubilee Story of the China Inland Mission’, Marshall
Broomhall (ministry127.com)
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