He Who Has Begun A Good Work

Wednesday, July 12 
I wake up to the sound of sweeping and check the time; it’s not even 5:00a.m.. The locals get up very early to work as to avoid the intense heat when the burning sun reaches its zenith. Getting up, I see a large cricket clinging motionless to the bedroom wall. I contemplate the likelihood of eating it in my sleep tonight, and decide the probability of that is pretty slim, so I leave it. 

The sunrise is beautiful.

After breakfast the team gets to work on their various projects: watering trees, 

sifting sand for bricks, 

computer classes, 

a weaving craft class, 

husking corn, 

and hauling water from a river with donkeys.

That evening in our nightly devotions we read about how sin separates us from God. 

"It comes to this, my friend, as it did with John Bunyan; a voice now speaks to you, and says— WILT THOU KEEP THY SIN AND GO TO HELL? OR LEAVE THY SIN AND GO TO HEAVEN?

The point should be decided before you quit the spot. In the name of God, I ask you, Which shall it be—Christ and salvation, or the favourite sin and damnation? There is no middle course. Waiting or refusing to decide will practically be a sure decision for the evil one. He that stands questioning whether he will be honest or not, is already out of the straight line: he that does not know whether he wishes to be cleansed from sin gives evidence of a foul heart.

If you are anxious to give up every evil way, our Lord Jesus will enable you to do so at once. His grace has already changed the direction of your desires: in fact, your heart is renewed. Therefore, rest on Him to strengthen you to battle with temptations as they arise, and to fulfil the Lord’s commands from day to day. The Lord Jesus is great at making the lame man to leap like a hart, and in enabling those who are sick of the palsy to take up their bed and walk. He will make you able to conquer the evil habit. He will even cast the devil out of you. Yes, if you had seven devils, He could drive them out at once; there is no limit to His power to cleanse and sanctify. 

Now that you are willing to be made whole, the great difficulty is removed. He that has set the will right can arrange all your other powers, and make them move to His praise. You would not have earnestly desired to quit all sin if He had not secretly inclined you in that direction. If you now trust Him, it will be clear that He has begun a good work in you, and we feel assured that He will carry it on." (Spurgeon, Around the Wicket Gate)