the white African

You remember the Channel 4 film, Mugabe and the White African?

At some considerable risk to the producer, director and camera crew, the film narrated the bold and godly way in which a farmer and his family in Zimbabwe dared to challenge Mugabe.

Mike Campbell, the white African of the film, died today. [See the details in The Zimbabwean]

My brother told me a while ago (and he should know, since he's married to Mike's daughter, and sees them all the time) - he told me that the whole experience aged the man overnight about 20 years.

Mike and his wife have sought to live their lives in obedience to the call of Jesus Christ, and dependence on his promised help. They knew that that is costly. But they also always knew that the cost which they might be called to bear was as nothing compared to the cost that their Lord had borne already for them.

They took to heart what the Lord insists is the heart of his call in Christ - to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Mike and his wife did just that.

They looked to the Lord for everything, and over all the many years they've proved God's loving faithfulness again and again. They've followed where he led. And in challenging Robert Mugabe's attempts to oust them from their home, they were not only convicted of the need to act justly and seek justice in the face of cruel and violent oppression, they were conscious as well of the huge responsibility they had under God for the 500 or so workers and their families who were also being harmed and destroyed by the actions of that leader.

They knew that to walk humbly with their God meant acting justly and loving mercy. And they knew that it might well be a costly thing to live like that and follow Jesus Christ in latter day Zimbabwe.

They were not afraid to walk with the Lord. Indeed, within their hearts, like Paul of old, their desire has always been -

"to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

Well, today Mike died, a man whose earthly frame bore the scars of the cross of his Lord.

Those who honour the Lord, the Lord in his turn will honour. Be sure of that.

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them.

To God be the glory.