Eaten By Cannibals

I have been reading a book of meditations by John Piper for awhile now. I have been taking long breaks between readings because I am trying to draw the book out for as long as possible. It is a short book and I am enjoying it so much I don't want it to end. My favorite place to read is at the gym. It makes my time on the treadmill faster and it is a new way I've found to bring worshiping into my workouts. The only problem I have is that my copy is filled with uneven lines from underlining while running. I am an obsessively neat person's worst book sharing nightmare.
The book is Life As A Vapor by John Piper. It contains "Thirty-One Meditations for Your Faith." It is incredible and I urge you to pick one up, be challenged by Piper, and be invigorated by the faith that exudes from him.
Today I was reading about "Thanksgiving of the Lives of Flawed Saints". I can only read one or two of the short excerpts at a time because I constantly have to re-read paragraphs and sentences due to the bouncing. Piper talks about how amazing the saints who came before us because they are flawed just like we are and the are utterly great just like we are not. At our very humblest we can see that we are not all great. Noticing that the saints that came before us are flawed we have hope that God may have a great purpose in place for us. How beautiful would that be? My greatest desire is for God to have a great calling for my life. The definition of great is an interesting thing though. I don't think the degree of greatness should be labeled by how many people know of your greatness but by how many people know of God's greatness.
John Piper quotes John G. Paton's biography when Paton is speaking of going to the South Seas in 1856 and a man told him he would be eaten by cannibals. Paton replies to this man, "Your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer."
After this quote Piper says that, "This kind of abandon to the cause of Christ puts a fire in my bones."
I think that was so perfectly stated. At this point of reading, I had to stop and just think. I thought about the prospect of Christ and what He gave up for my soul and I wonder if I have the abandon to be eaten by cannibals. My prayer is that I would. My reality is that I would probably run. How do you get to the place where you are courageous enough to walk into a den of hungry humans, knowing you are their dinner?

My desire is to get to that place. If the alternative is that people will not know the loving God that I do...I will have to place my faith in Christ and learn to be courageous and live the way I took an oath to when I became a disciple of Christ.

I am sitting on the back porch of my house on this (some would say cold, I say chilly) night and I am reveling in the grace of my God and His providence over my life.
...And listening to Mumford&Sons... they're great.