Diligence: God’s power for you to do good work.

On Sunday I was invited to preach to the assembly at CCLS Uganda. We talked about our identity, as children of God grounded in the love of the Father (1 John 3:1). While our identity is grounded in the performance of Jesus, that is, His life, death and resurrection (1 John 4:10), our performance of love to God and others flows from our identity in freedom. Along with the dedication of the dormintory, we celebrated the baptisms of three children of God. 

Today our love for God and others was expressed through diligence: God’s power for us to do good work.  First, a couple of boys helped Jon and me build the tent to provide shade for those waiting for the clinic. Dr. Kent and Beth served people in the clinic throughout the day. Meanwhile, Brian and Rob braved the baking hot roof to install fans for the boys’ dormitory. 

Jon and I observed a teacher on his first day teaching with the class fully focused on learning vocabulary and social studies. He taught as though he had been with the class for years. We were impressed that the Primary 1 (1st grade) class was already studying multiplication. Moreover, women diligently gathered water for their homes, carrying containers that weigh 45-50 lbs. Madison, Katie, and Violet used the Character Project to teach the little ones the story of Noah, a diligent man in his own right, who faithfully built the Ark.

In a way, CCLS Uganda serves as an Ark for the community. No, it’s not just the fact that we’ve seen a rainbow at the end of the last two days. It is because CCLS is a means by which our Lord diligently keeps His children safe and helps them grow in their faith and love in the Kingdom of God.

What is the Kingdom of God like? The Kingdom of God is a 5 year old boy who diligently comes to a school each day even though he is not a registered student and clings to hope until he experiences it. Today we celebrate that Stewart will be coming onboard to CCLS, as Madison and her family will be sponsoring him.