Monday, March 30, 2015

New Life

Last week we had a bit of snow. Today the forsythia and daffodils are in full bloom by my house. I love the change from winter to spring as new life bursts forth from the ground.

Even more wonderful, is the new life that springs forth from the sowing of God’s Word in the hearts of lost men and women. Goma was a lost soul in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. But now she thanks God for saving her from a life of despair.

“I used to think that I would never be free,” shares Goma as she remembers how her mother would make her work long hours in the garden digging sweet potatoes or force Goma to baby-sit her five younger brothers and sisters while she went out gambling.

As a young teen, Goma found very little to look forward to. Life was hard.

“Sometimes, I would run away from work,” explains Goma. “I would steal a little bit of money to gamble, or I would attend a dance. But it all got more and more unfulfilling—and every morning I would have to go right back to work. I felt empty inside.”

But God changed her life when Goma began to attend Bible lessons taught by missionaries to her people.

“I started to see that yes, my life was worthless—just as I had always known,” says Goma. “But the reason for the worthlessness was different than I thought—it was because of sin. I was meant to go to hell, but then Jesus came and paid the price for me to be set free.”

After accepting Jesus into her life, she went back to her work, but this time it was with a renewed enthusiasm and joy.

“The work was still there, but my heart had changed,” said Goma. “At first it was hard to obey my mother because it meant giving up time to read my Bible or go to Bible studies with the other girls. But as I started obeying my mother, God came through for me in amazing ways. One of the Bible teachers noticed me and decided that he wanted me as a wife.”

“My husband treats me wonderfully,” Goma beams. “And with my marriage, God has answered other prayers too. Now I have time to teach literacy and lead the Sunday school—but most of all, I have time to read the Bible!”

Literacy is one of the many classes we teach here at the MTC. Please pray for our students as some of them will soon be taking a course in Literacy.

Bob

* * *

Keep the Skyward Look

On a day in the autumn, I saw a prairie eagle mortally wounded by a rifle shot. His eye still gleamed like a circle of light. Then he slowly turned his head, and gave one more searching and longing look at the sky. He had often swept those starry spaces with his wonderful wings. The beautiful sky was the home of his heart. It was the eagle’s domain. A thousand times he had exploited there his splendid strength. In those far away heights be had played with the lightnings, and raced with the winds, and now, so far away from home, the eagle lay dying, done to the death, because for once he forgot and flew too low. The soul is that eagle. This is not its home. It must not lose the skyward look. We must keep faith, we must keep hope, we must keep courage, we must keep Christ. Keep the skyward look, my soul; keep the skyward look!

 

“Keep looking up--

The waves that roar around thy feet,

Jehovah-Jireh will defeat

When looking up.

 

“Keep looking up--

Though darkness seems to wrap thy soul;

The Light of Light shall fill thy soul

When looking up.

 

“Keep looking up--

When worn, distracted with the fight;

Your Captain gives you conquering might

When you look up.”