Ill (i)

Ill (i) David Hutson

Mark 14: 6-9; Acts 16: 30,31; 22: 10 ("And - "Lord? ")

I believe our beloved sister would have this commendation from the Lord, "What she could she has done". We have valued her part among us her interest in what is proceeding among the people of God, as far as is known to us. Any of us who have moved at all in service have found that our sister has been very interested in what has proceeded and we are assured that she has followed us with her prayers. What she could she has done. It would be a challenge to us for the word today is not for our sister - she is now "with Christ ... very much better", Phil 1: 23. Her work is completed and the work of God in her is completed, but the word is for us and would be a challenge to us as to whether it can be said of s that what we can, we have done. It is not, as is sometimes said in the world which would rather minimise it, she has done what she could, but the emphasis is on "she": what she could she has done". It would be similar to the word of the Lord Jesus in relation to another, "Well done, thou good bondman" Luke 19: 17. She has now, in that sense, entered into the joy of her Lord. What it is to be in the presence of Him whom she has served and loved! Death cannot separate her from that love. She is now in the unclouded enjoyment of it, not hindered by the limitations of the weakness of the mortal condition, awaiting a body of glory like unto His own body of glory. But, as I say, the word is for us: Have we done what we can? Are we doing what we can in service to Him who has done everything for us?

There is one thing that we must do - (what we do is a matter for Him, as one would seek to come to - "But to each one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ", (Eph 4: 7), so that we have grace for whatever the Lord would have us to do). Our sister first of all embarked on this pathway of service to the Lord Jesus by doing what she must do and what we must do: "... What must I do that I may be saved?", a cry of desperation from this man. I trust it has been a cry which has gone from every one of our hearts. "What must I do that I may be saved?" This is something which we must all do: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved" believe on a blessed, living, glorious Man who is on the other side of death, having broken its power, having taken the condition of blood and flesh in order that He might go into death and annul him that had its power so that we might be set free. What a word it is for us if we have any doubts as to our salvation: "Believe on the Lord Jesus", blessed, glorified Saviour, ready to receive any who would tum to Him for present and eternal salvation.

But then there is another man, the apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus as he was at the time he was arrested by the Lord in glory, and here the word is, "What shall I do, Lord?" I trust that this may be a question which arises in all our hearts as a result of our being together. We take account of our sister as having done what she could and then there is what we must do to embark upon this pathway of pleasing and service to the Lord Jesus, and in that pathway we would seek His direction. We would seek for each one of us the many services which are open to us, simple, some of them, others, perhaps, beyond some of us, but nevertheless something for everybody. I trust that as a result of our being together today there may be something stimulated in our hearts, stimulated in our affections for that blessed One who has done everything for us that we might be asking Him this question, "What shall I do, Lord?" He will provide the grace that we should do it to His glory and for His pleasure, that in the end He may be able to say, "What he or she could, he or she has done". Amen.