Spiritual Theme: Expose Them

Today’s post about February's spiritual theme comes from Pastor Ben at Faith Alive, based on Ephesians 5:11: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

“As children of light we are admonished here not to participate in evil but rather expose it. Light constitutes every good work while darkness is the embodiment of all evil work. One great function of the light is that it exposes and brings about visibility while darkness conceals and destroys visibility.

“To show the importance of this, Jesus, when he came on the scene, said that we are the light of the world, showing that the world is full of darkness. This further reveals that many things are kept hidden from the reach of man. The weight of this matter was shown to Isaiah and he made it plain in chapter 60 of the book of Isaiah when he said, ‘Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See darkness covers the earth and thick darkness over the peoples.’

“If the darkness that covers the people is thick darkness (and not a light one), then it needs much light to bring exposure. It also follows that without light, no discovery will be made. And if we are asked to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness in Ephesians 5:11, then how many commendations or rewards shall we receive if we also expose the good? I believe there are many good things that are still hidden and kept out of reach by the darkness around us. The only way we can expose evil is to expose the good, for in the absence of original product no one could know the counterfeit or fake product. Fake is exposed by the presence of the original. This was why Jesus added, ‘…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 5:16)

“Any time we shine, people see; they don’t only see our good deeds but they also see their evil deeds as they became exposed by our good deeds.

“Here is the call. Show the good in you so that the evil in the world will be dealt with. Don’t keep the good in you, for it is the good in you that exposes and corrects the evil in me.”

Updates

Thanks to those of you who prayed last week for a grant writer. After contacting about a dozen people, I found one in Denver who knew just the right questions to ask after glancing through the 91-page PEPFAR grant application. Those questions led us to include Faith Alive's requests as part of a larger grant that Dr. Bill Blattner with Institute of Human Virology (IHV) in Maryland will submit. It's a win-win for a couple of reasons: Faith Alive and IHV won't duplicate countless hours and Faith Alive now has a better chance to be funded. Bill has a proven track record for supporting Faith Alive and having his grants awarded. We now pray that the PEPFAR cuts proposed in the United States' new budget won't affect Faith Alive.

On another note, Elim Elementary School Headmistress Kate has to reapply for a visa appointment. We continue to pray that all arrangements can be made so that she can come to Colorado. All in God's timing.

We continue to choose hope in Jesus Christ and look forward to how God will amaze and surprise us.

Can You Recommend a Grant Writer?

Wanted: Professional and dependable grant writer with proven ability to write government grants that get awarded, immediate availability, reasonable rates, and a heart for helping Faith Alive. If you know of someone (especially if they live in northern Colorado), please contact me asap at savealife@faithalivenigeria.org. My prayer is to have a commitment from a grant writer by the end of this week.

Will you please pray that God brings the right-fit writer to help us secure future PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) funds? This grant will allow us to continue serving the thousands of Faith Alive patients who are HIV+.

On another note, one of my loyal blog readers asked if I was losing interest in my writing since I'm only posting on Mondays. Quite the contrary! I'm intentionally blogging less so that I have more time to finish the book and go to two more writers' conferences this spring. I also took a much-appreciated vacation last week with my wonderful husband--Happy Valentine's Day, Mark!

Headmistress Headed to Colorado?

It's been a long time in the making, but Elim Elementary School's headmistress Kate from Jos, Nigeria might be granted a visa to come to the United States. I've wanted her to visit ever since I met her on my first trip to Jos three years ago. With advanced degrees in education and administration, she started her school with just a handful of students and a faith in Jesus Christ. Today, about a dozen staff there teach around 160 students, 40 of whom are OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) on scholarship through our church's efforts.

Please pray with me that the U.S. government will grant her a visa to visit Colorado this spring. Not only will she learn a lot to take back and teach her staff and students, but we'll be blessed to learn from her. She is one of the most poised, graceful, intelligent women I have ever met. I hope that you, too, get a chance to meet her.

If you're interested in meeting her or having her speak somewhere about women, education or OVCs in Africa, please email me at savealife@faithalivenigeria.org.

(Photo is Kate with a student.)