On Gains and Losses

"Celebrate good times, Come on!" - Kool and the Gang

We celebrated this weekend. Rehoboth Children's Village has been completed, by the grace of God.We had an amazing day with over 350 people there. I car guarded then braaied all day which was so much fun. Quite Ironic too. Being told how to drive by someone who can't drive and having an Engelsman braaing for you. The day was brillaint though and the main theme that ran through was that God had made it a reality but we also had to look forwrd to what happened next.

So where to now? Do we kick back and relax? Do we move elsewhere? Is that where God wants us to be? Where would we go if we did move forward?

In 2 John: 8-9, the aged apostle pointed out two special threats to ministry; the danger of losing what we have gained and the danger of making gains that are really losses. All of us, whether it be the leaders, trustees and workers of Rehoboth or you at home need discernment and wisdom to detect the dangers and overcome them.
As to the first danger, John tells us, "Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully." Sometimes we are so anxious to move forward that we lose focus of what we have already. It wiuld be easy for us at Rehoboth to just up sticks and move to another run down area and develop a new village. But then the children we care for at the minute would suffer emotionally as our focus would be diverted.
The second danger is that of making gains that are really losses. Verse 9 reads. "Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God."
To go beyond the fundamental truths that we live by is to make gains that are really losses. We must know the truth, live the truth, defend the truth and share the truth with others. But we must never go beyond that truth.
This is why God's work is so important, and why it demands the very best that we can give it. We are on guard duty for God, staying alert to protect our gains and rejecting profits that are really losses. If you ask, "Who is equal to such a task?" (2 Corinthians 2:16), the answer is clear: "Our competence comes from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5)

As part of the celebration day on Saturday and having mentioned that I write poetry, I was asked to write a poem about a child coming to Rehoboth after being in the community. And as I wrote this poem, I felt myself in this child's position and it just reminded me how privileged to care for these children and throughout the time we care for these children we should never stray from the truth of why we are doing this work. And as the scripture says, even if we ask if we are equal to the task, we must just remember that our competence and our ability to do this work comes from God.

As I type this, the wonderful, magnificent people at Eskom (South Africa's only electricity provider) have decided to cut our electricity in what is known as load shedding, which is probably the worst idea since Abraham Lincoln decided he was bored at home and fancied a night at the theatre. For such a large country as South Africa to have to cut electricity to supply everyone is diabolical. The bright sparks at Eskom cut power to everyman and his dog in South Africa but gives power to Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique for free. Where's the logic in that?

So from the fat cats at Eskom, with their own generators, lighting cigars with R100 notes I apologise and I'll have to post the poem next week, power permitting.

Until Next Time

Rob