Gospel News — May-Aug 2013

preserved the talent (and the same Greek word is used later in the New Testament about the need to "preserve" the Truth). He didn't spend it on himself. Didn't lose it. Didn't let it get dirty. Didn't forget where he buried it. But his inaction was the basis of his condemnation.

In the wider Christian world, Christianity is becoming increasingly professional. But just like the colossal scale of a cathedral dwarfs Catholics into thinking they themselves can do nothing, so this professionalism can do to us. Smart websites, power point presentations, truly funny jokes, entertainment. But this is not how God works. It is through the likes of the late, great Ludmila Fyodorovna Kuritsyna, who never had a cell phone, had no teeth and no dentures, thought the internet was only for her grandkids... and yet converted several hundred throughout the former USSR by letter writing and constant personal visitation and teaching.

"Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No-one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer" (2 Tim. 2:3,4). Not for us the disillusion of feeling we gave our lives for the wrong cause, that we made such commitment without knowing the real facts, of seeing the feet of clay in our leaders. The life in Christ, the work for His cause, shall never disappoint. But we must keep focused on it, as the bigger picture overarching our lives. We will not allow the hard word of others, their failure, even your own failure, the major calamities, loss of fellow soldiers falling at your side... to interfere with the overall thrust and direction of our lives.

The fact the Lord Jesus died for you personally will mean you seek to respond without wavering, without flinching. Not for us the philosophy of `balance' - a bit of effort for the Lord, but balanced by our commitment to our hobbies, wealth seeking and other passions. The end result of it is simply life in the mire of mediocrity. He gave and lived His life to the full for us, and has given us that kind of life. We are to live in harmony, I would say, not maxed

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out on just one particular aspect of serving Him - but there is a subtle difference between `balance' and such harmony. Watch out, in this generation as never before, for time wasting. For life is full of ways to waste the precious hours God has given you, and each one is lost forever once it's over. We will spend eternity serving God because our nature will be changed. But every effort we make for Him in the constraints of this nature, where such service has to be a conscious choice, is perhaps in a strange way even more meaningful and pleasing to Him. So please, pray a prayer something like this: "Father, who created me for Your pleasure, and Lord Jesus, who died for me, please show me what are Your hopes for me. What can I do. Lead me to the right people. May I get into the right conversations. I believe You will lead me and show me as I ask. But please also give me the courage to follow where You lead. I open my life and my heart totally to You. I want to give my all for You. I am willing to lay my life down for You. Help me to do it. For the sake of Jesus and so that all His love and work for me will not be without response from me, Amen".

--Duncan Heaster

Somali Refugees in Kenya

Resettlement Of Our Refugee Brethren

Our Thoughts Concerning Them At This Time
Sis Esther Worrell (Canada)

The question exercising my mind is how