"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude." Colossians 2:6-7
The Manenekela Bible School is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the capital city of Lusaka. The Bible School is held at a school at Mpanshya. Our meeting started on Monday, 10th of August and finished on Saturday the 15th of August. Most of the trip from Lusaka is on a paved road – and then you turn and go down a dirt road for about 6 – 10 kilometers.
As we were nearing the end of the journey (about 2 or 3 kilometers from the school), the local coordinator/teacher (who was in the truck with me) said that the group of four men who we were approaching on the road were our fellow students. All of them were carrying something – the one had a home-made cage with five chickens in it on the top of his head, another had half a bag of maize, and another had a sleeping mat. Of course all of them had their “personal” belongings – a single change of clothes mainly – for the week of Bible School. I had room in the truck for their “katundu”(luggage) – but I was already filled up with passengers. After loading their “katundu,” and telling them that they would find us at the meeting place, we started back on the journey. As we were travelling, the local coordinator mentioned to me that these men had a lot of dedication in coming to BBS. Since that is a rare compliment, I asked him what he meant. He said that the four of them had arranged to travel together and that the closest of the four in that group was travelling 65 kilometers one way. He then added that the man with the five chickens had travelled the longest, including the crossing of a river, and that his journey was at least 110 kilometers one way. I was really touched, inspired and convicted. I sometimes complain about the long distances that I travel – and yet it is in a nice air conditioned vehicle listening to the CD player. Here were four men who travelled by foot for at least 40 miles – and one of them with five chickens on his head for around 70 miles – and they have nothing but enthusiasm and excitement for a week’s worth of training sessions. From Lusaka I was at the meeting place within a couple of hours, and these guys had been walking for two to three days. And I wondered, do I have that kind of passion for the things of the Lord?
What are your thoughts right now? What is God convicting you of in light of the dedication and sacrifices that these men made in order to attend a Bible School to study and learn more about God’s Word?
How much do we sacrifice or invest in order to study God's Word? To KNOW Him fully? To show our dedication to the spreading of His Word to those around us that we call friends.
Many times we get so wrapped up in the lights and the shows of worship that we forget about the purity and the beauty of God's Word alone. How dedicated are we to knowing God's Word that is pure and holy and without fault? How much time do we spend sharing Christ or discussing what God is teaching us with our friends and neighbors? All of these questions are things that God has really reamed me on lately, but what about you? I pray that God will challenge you and encourage you to grow and know Him more.
The next time it is too rainy or cold or hot to attend church on Sunday or any other day of the week. Think about the men of that walked in order to learn more about their "walk" with the Lord.
I felt that this story needed to be shared to challenge us, the body of Christ, to evaluate our priorities and our dedication to God’s Word. You say that you are a believer, Christian, follower of God...but what have you done lately to demonstrate that “passion”?
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