Praise God for Faithful and Loving Friends

Praise God for faithful friends, who know what you need, and know exactly where to find it. Our friend, Janice, took us to one of her favourite op-shops while we were visiting with her the other day, and we found just what we were needing – a new quilt cover set for the guest bedroom (left), a delightful rose patterned quilt cover set for our bedroom (right), a new pair of trousers for my husband, a pair of jeans for my son and a blouse and three new nighties for my daughter. We had been using a quilt cover for the guest bedroom from our very first home, back in 1990, and it was becoming very threadbare, but now our guests will have the finest of bedlinen.

We also found a book that has been on my “wanted” list for a very long time – We of the Never Never by Mrs Aeneas Gunn, and some other treasures, too – Station Life in Australia Pioneers and Pastoralists by Peter Taylor and A Treasury of Favourite Australian Poems by Lloyd O’Neill. These should keep my daughter reading for a little while. These books truly are “Living books”.

The School of Obedience

The latest book that I have been reading is The School of Obedience by Andrew Murray, and it was such an awe-inspiring book that I read it in one day. Our children have also read it as a part of the ACC curriculum.

1. Preface
2. What is covered in The School of Obedience?
3. Obedience: Its Place in Holy Scripture
4. The Obedience of Christ
5. The Secret of True Obedience
6. The Morning Watch in the Life of Obedience
7. The Entrance to the Life of Full Obedience
8. The Obedience of Faith
9. The School of Obedience
10. Obedience to the Last Command
11. Note on the Morning Watch

Some of My Favourite Excerpts from the Book:

Preface: The very entrance into this life demands the vow of absolute obedience, or the surrender of the whole being, to be, think, speak, do, every moment, nothing but what is according to the will of God, and well pleasing to Him.

Page 38: It is in the closet, in the morning watch, that our spiritual life is both tested and strengthened. There is the battlefield where it is to be decided every day whether God is to have all, whether our life it to be absolute obedience. If we truly conquer there, getting rid of ourselves into the hands of our Almighty Lord, the victory of the day is sure. It is there, in the inner chamber, proof is to be given whether we really delight in God, and make it our aim to love Him with our whole heart.

Page 52: You ask for the ground of that faith in God’s Word? You find it in God’s New Testament promises, “… I will… write it [my law] in their hearts.” “… I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” The great defect of the Old Covenant was, it demanded, but did not provide the power for obedience. This the New Covenant did. The heart means the love, the life. The law put into, written into the heart, means that it has taken possession of the inmost life and love of the renewed man. The new heart delights in the law of God; it is willing and able to obey it.

Page 55: If you would enter into the blessed life of obedience; see here the open gate – Christ says, “I am the door.” See here the new and living way – Christ says, “I am the way.” We begin to see it; all our disobedience rests on not knowing Christ correctly. We see it; obedience is only possible in a life of unceasing fellowship with Himself. The inspiration of His voice, the light of His eyes, the grasp of His hand make it possible and certain.

Come and let us bow down, and yield ourselves to this Christ. Obedient unto death, in the faith that He makes us partakers with Himself of all He is and has.

This would have to be one of the best books that I have read for a very long time. Andrew Murray challenges every Believer to obey God, and there is a constant emphasis on denying one’s selfish nature in order to follow Christ’s perfect example of obedience. As Christ was obedient unto death, so every Believer should seek to obey God at any cost.

Peril by Choice

The book, Peril by Choice is the story of John and Elaine Beekman, Wycliffe Bible translators in Mexico.

John Beekman started life with a heart murmur and poor circulation, but decided that he would rather give fewer years of service to those who had never heard of the Gospel than many more years to those who have already heard the Gospel message.

The story is about how John and his wife, Elaine took the Gospel to the Chol Indians and worked as linguists to help publish the Chol New Testament. Their lives were not always happy-go-lucky, as their first baby, Sharon died shortly after birth, and of a heart condition similar to that of her father. When Sharon died, Elaine was told that she would be able to comfort the Chol women with her testimony because they lose many babies.

However, they go on to have another baby, Judy, who became known as “the miracle baby”, and was ‘adopted’ by one of the Chol Indians named Madam Mercy.

John and Elaine worked well as a team, with John translating in the New Testament, while Elaine translated hymns. The Chol people loved their hymns and often walked around singing, so the hymns were a wonderful way to get the Gospel message into their hearts.

John Beekman encouraged one translator by telling her to make small goals. With small goals, you gain a sense of achievement each time you meet one.

Peril by Choice shows how translators and linguists work to help spread the message of the Gospel, and is one that we have studied in Introduction to Missions through Australian Christian College. Our children have thoroughly enjoyed this novel, so I have also read it, enjoying it immensely, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to read an excellent biography.

A Very Interesting Week

This last week has been a very interesting week, with many new learning curves taking place. We have just started using the ACE curriculum with the Australian Christian Academy School of Distance Education, and our children seemed to be taking longer than usual to complete the days’ work.

However, after a phone call from Australian Christian Academy, everything was finally revealed. Our children had been completing at least five pages, sometimes seven or eight pages in their science and social studies PACES. They should only have been completing two to three pages of written work in their activity books, as the work is so intensive. Aha, that explains why they seemed to be spending so much time in the school room.

On Friday, as they had been working so well for the rest of the week, we allowed them to skip their science and social studies, as they were already so far ahead.

Hopefully, next week we will know what we are meant to do, and we will start to see results. We still have to get used to the children setting their own goals for their school work.

One thing that felt very strange was coming home from town, after shopping on Friday, and sitting down to watch the news, instead of preparing the childrens’ school work for Monday. It felt so weird, as if I should have actually been doing something, but my husband didn’t complain. He said that it would be nice to be able to actually spend some time together.

I could really become used to actually having some time to be able to relax and do what I want to do. I think I might go and read a good book in front of the air conditioner. At the moment, I am reading Jesus Freaks: Martyrs – Voice of the Martyrs endorsed DC Talk, and there are about 150 moving personal testimonies and quotes in it.

Initially, I bought it for my son and daughter, but it makes compelling and powerful reading, knowing that there are so many people who are willing to die for their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I also like being able to support Voice of the Martyrs in their ministry work, as we are asked to bear one another’s burdens in God’s Word.

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.