“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.”

“There was a man”. This did not happen by chance. It was fore-ordained even before the beginning of the world, that there should be such a man in existence. God was in control.

“A man sent from God”. What an honour was given to this man! God chose him to be His own, and not only chose him to be His own, but chose him peculiarly to be “sent”. As I was hearing tonight (Luke 19:12-27), we all of us are entrusted with “pounds” of one kind or another. We are not immediatly honoured always, but often are entrusted with a responsibility in trying circumstances. That responsibility is not “at expense” of our worldly affaris, but rather we ought to perform these worldly affairs with diligence as part of the responsibility that God has given us. (Our responsibility is discharged via the diligent performance of all our duties.) This “man sent” – though it was a great honour to be given this responsibility – nevertheless had a heavy responsibility placed on his shoulders. He had a duty to discharge. Yet he did not need to discharge that duty entirely by himself He was sent by God. God strengthens and enables all His own people to perform the duties He requires of them. They could never possibly discharge them otherwise. God is the omnipotent Banker; He can, and will, supply out of His treasury of grace and mercy exactly enough as is required by His children.

“whose name was John”. After the custom of this world, this man had a name. Unlike some of the angels, who remain nameless(at least to us), this man was “in this world”, and therefore required a name like everyone else in the world. Though we are not to be “of this world”, yet we are “in this world”. Our sphere of labour is this sinful world. We are not to think, “Oh, everything would be much easier if only….” It is a sinful world we are in. It is a sinful world we are required to discharge our duties in. And it is while we are in this sinful world, discharging our duties here with all the trials that involves, that God will bless and honour His people. “Him that honoureith me I will honour.”

Tororane naende (‘Til we see one another again.)

…Just me here…

The good bit? I got my Kenya photo’s off the CD at long last. My new laptop was able to install the software from the CD successfully, and therefore to get all the photo’s, so I’m pretty chuffed about that.

The rest:

Was feeling a bit down yesterday. Not too bad, considering, but nonetheless not overly happy.

So, I got tons of sleep, got up a reasonably impressive time (8:00am and didn’t need to be in uni until 11) and now I’ve just had two lectures and lunch, and been “falling asleep” all the way through. Now, I don’t think that’s overly fair, considering I’ve had my sleep…

Personally, I think it was just all because of yesterday being such an “emotionally draining” day. (I don’t even like use that phrase to describe it, given I last heard it applied to Omorandia the day after Elizabeth(I think it was) died.)

Anyways, java aint helping, so I’m off home now. :S

7/11/2004 – Backdated to this date (22/11/2004)
“And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.”

How can darkness comprehend? It cannot. This is a metaphor. The unbeliever is being likened to the darkness, and the gospel is here called the light.

The “light shining” is the gospel being brought to the unbeliever. The ordinary means used by God are the preaching and reading of the word. “By the foolishness of preaching hath God chosen to save them that believe.”

The light is shining into the darkness. Normally darkness is dispersed when light shines into it, but this darkness is so thick that it is not. In God’s providence the gospel is brought to the unbeliever, and yet he continues on oblivious.

How merciful of God to allow a sinner such an opportunity. Yet how solomn…”the darkness comprehended it not.” In and of himself a sinner is so ignorant that he can do nothing. He cannot belive – he does not even understand. He does not even notice that the gospel has come to him.

Oh, that we would take note when God gives us opportunity to come closer to Himself. Even if that opportunity is from a source we least expect it to come from. Do not despise the means God uses. God’s ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts.

==********==

I feel constrained to tell of some good that happened to me. I want to “hide it not”. Tonights sermon was on II Kings 7:9 “…this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

Every day should be a day of good tidings. We should exort one another daily.

Ama used to do this. She felt it strongly on her conscience that her lack of prayerfulness was not only harmful to herself, but also to *others*. Those whom she should have been praying for.

We all need to be alive in order to stir one another up to greater liveliness. And if I am not then my friends are harmed in not-having this stirring-up that I should be giving them.

Anyway, on John 1:3, my meditation-verse one Sabbath when I was in Kenya… I was feeling ‘dead’. My new zeal for trying to be more consistent and regular in the way I meditate was dying down, and I was tired…

Anyhow, I read the verse, sat for a few minutes, and just sighed. I thought I wwould take a break, and then try and start afresh (foolish, natural thinking!) Anyways, God had mercy on poor wee ignorant silly me. On looking out that window, I was just struck anew with the beaut of it all. The bird singing sweetingly and fluttering from tree to tree; the bright orange flowers ‘in the corner’; the freshly-rained-upon grass.

Bright blue sky. How good God is! As Omorandia had mentioned to me a few times recently (its a favourite theme of his) God gives us all these things “richly to enjoy”. And we should richly enjoy them! It is He that has given us such bounty; it is ungrateful of us not to enjoy His creation. “All things *were* made by Him.”

How wonderfully precious to be taught of the Spirit of God. He alone knows how to deal personally with each individual, giving them exactly the feeding that they require, and is appropriate to their circumstances. We do not get what we deserve – instead we are blessed abundantly above what we can ask or think.