Preparation

God needs man and man needs God. God will not do His work without man's cooperation, and man cannot do God's work without God's operation. God and man have to work together; God in man and man in God can only carry out God's work. This is the principle of incarnation.

Not acknowledging this fact would be an insult to God. Christians today needs salvation from two extremes of  "just God only," passively waiting for God to do things without him lifting a finger, and of "just man only," actively working for God as though God needs help and exerting all possible natural forces mixed with religious zeal and enthusiasms with the stirring up of emotion, exercising of strong will and scheming in the unrenewed mind. The extremes must be strictly avoid, perhaps, should even be prohibited. A balanced Christian life and work is called for as an utmost necessity in this age.

These days, I too am learning lessons on prayer, planning and preparation. God definitely do have His desire, and He needs man. As man, once His desire is made known, there is a need for prayerful preparation. God would not send the rain yet until there is man to till the ground. God will send send the rain yet until Noah's ark building was ready.

Genesis 2:5 And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up — for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the ground,    

In a similarly fashion, these days we have been learning Greek and preparing our selves in every possible way to bring out the word of God into various Indian languages. Two years have elapsed since we started the Greek learning course, and I honor and appreciate the Lord's leading in the brothers who teaches us the lessons. In fact, preparing us patiently. May the Lord bless them richly. Here is a practical lesson of preparation. Besides, the Lord has also burdened me to prepare further to be academically or otherwise professional equipped, in the principle of incarnation, to be able to accomplish the task righteously and faithfully. Yes, even to the extend of taking additional academic course, if need be, or research on this line. However, the Lord  may lead the way as I prepare. 

A recent trip by a group of saints to India to research for a suitable venue for a possible event to hold one of the international feasts in the near future was a good learning for me on preparation. I was impressed by the minute details the saints were looking for, considering almost everything related to the training; the location, accessibility, facilities, prices and others. They took nothing for assumption but checked out every practical matter. The opportunity to accompany them in this preparation tour for two days in Delhi and Gurgaon was indeed a preparation learning for me. 

Likewise, trusting the Lord and abiding in Him, the Lord's work must be carried out; praying, planning and preparing, that in time, He will accomplish His desire. And we be sanctified vessel prepared for the Master's use.

2 Timothy 2:20, 21 But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels but also wooden and earthen; and some are unto honor, and some unto dishonor.If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work.