Same God Here, Same God There

This summer has been the greatest summer of my life. I cannot even begin to explain all the things that God has been teaching me this summer, but it is my goal to share one of those things today. 

So on a typical week here at the Wilds, the campers get here on Monday, and they leave on Saturday. It's amazing to see what the campers learn all week long. It's also amazing to see the decisions they make. They let go of long time bitterness. They change their attitudes. They get rid of ungodly living and friends....right here in the shelter of the Wilds. You see, here, it's easy to serve God. It's easy to do what is right because everyone else is doing it too. But then you go home. Back to the bad influences, ungodly friends, and worldly living. At the end of a camp week, I find myself wishing I could go home with the campers, but then God reminds me of something. This same God goes home with them! They can keep these same decisions because God is the same here and there. 

It's easy to get on an emotional, spiritual high at camp, but that doesn't have to be only at camp or in whatever given spiritual setting. God is always the same. Rest in that fact, and stay close to Him. 

Being Real

A little taste of spiritual heaven on earth.

This is the phrase that I use to describe the place where I get to serve this summer. The Wilds is a Christian camp where I'm counseling elementary age and teenage girls this summer. After a week of staff training, you would think that I would be completely prepared, right? Well, I don't know. There are going to be situations where I need help this summer, and I definitely need God with me each step of the way. But there are a couple of things that stand out to me from this week. One is that I have to be real. 

We listened to a session about the kind of Christianity that young people are witnessing. The speaker made these three points: teens are witnessing a lifeless, loveless, and legalistic Christianity. 

When I first went to the Wilds as a camper, one of the biggest things I noticed was that these people were real. They really do love God, they really do love me, and they really have fun doing both of these. A ministry at the Wilds is all about serving God and serving others. It's doing what's right even though it's hard. It's loving even when someone is very difficult to love. It's completely surrendering to God's Word and doing what He says. 

As a counselor this summer, I know that I have to be real. Teenagers can spot a phony so fast! I have to have genuine love for God and those around me. But this application isn't just for camp. God calls us to love and obey Him no matter where you are! What difference would it make if others looked at your life and said, "What you see is what you get. He is really trying to please God with his life." 

Would others say that your talk about God matches your walk with God? I hope so! Be real today!

It's Not Easy

It's not easy to get up every morning.

It's not easy to have your devotions every day. (Check out the previous post for more about this!)

It's not easy to pray every day.

It's not easy to love.

It's not even easy to serve God consistently.

Why? Your flesh is the enemy. Satan is the enemy. You are fighting an uphill battle. Sin is trying to push you down. It is not natural for us to serve God. It is a choice that we have to make.

Joshua 14:8 says, “Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.” This was Caleb's testimony. He chose to serve God with his whole heart. When did he make this choice? Maybe it was when he was a child. Maybe it was when he was a teenager. Maybe it was just before his spy mission in Canaan. But it was before he was put into these situations. He chose to serve God wholly and completely? Will you?

I have to warn you though. It's not easy. But the Bible promises us that it is completely worth it because your uphill battle is already won! Jesus conquered all. He defeated sin, death, and the grave. Will you choose the winning side? Will you serve God wholly and completely today?

Turning 21 into a Testimony

Today, I turn 21 years old. So, what's the big deal about turning 21? In the world's eyes, now I can not only party, but I'm also allowed to drink alcohol...legally. But here's the thing with me, I believe that it is wrong to drink because the Bible says so (Prov. 20:1, Eph. 5:18). Many people just don't understand that. Why would I follow what some book says about drinking? Because it is God's Word. So now my 21^st birthday turns into testimony time. My taking a stand against drinking on my birthday says a great deal about the rest of my life. If I am going to do this, people will notice a difference. Not drinking on my 21^st birthday shows people that there is something different, and they may think that I'm weird at first. But then, they can watch all the other areas of your life too. So just taking a stand against alcohol is a small first step. What about my work ethic? My speech? My social life? How will I be different in those areas? If Christ is in me, these areas won't just be weird. It will be a difference that they don't understand, but one that they desire to have. Will other people see Jesus? Will they want what I have?

Taking a stand is not just about being weird. It's about showing Christ in everything I do. His name is in my title – CHRISTian. Will taking a stand be more than just a way to be different? Or will it be showing the testimony of Christ?

Yearbook Catastrophe

“So, I have a question for you,” my teacher said at the beginning of class. “How many of you, when you got your yearbook, the first picture that you looked at was your own?”

Over 75% of the class raised their hands. The only reason I didn't raise mine was because I hadn't gotten my yearbook yet. But that gave me the greater responsibility; now, I had the chance to keep my actions in check.

You see, I've also been reading a book called From Pride to Humility. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it before. It's very short but very convicting. God was already working on my heart about pride, and now, my teacher brings up a simple everyday situation that I show pride. Why is pride such a big deal anyway? Because God hates it (Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 16:5). If I love God, why would be something that God hates?

Pride is seen in so many little ways. The book that I mentioned earlier says that it is the root of all sin. It is what had Satan cast out of heaven. Pride causes us to be focused on self and not focused on God. It makes us talk about ourselves, think low of others, and cut others down. It can also be seen in self-pity because the focus is on yourself, not God. It's easy to be proud in so many ways, so we have to be careful. Even then, we will make mistakes. I still went back and looked at my picture first!

What's the best way to learn humility? Ask God to teach you to be humble (Matthew 7:7). But be prepared because God will teach you even when you least expect it. I'll tell you about that story in a later post.

No Devos, No Facebook

Consistency is one of the hardest challenges of the Christian life. Hypocrisy is something that many outside the church complain about. This is exactly why they don't want what we have. Our mouths say one thing, but our lives say another. We may not drink, smoke, or be caught up in some major sin, but what about all the little every day things, the things that people around us really notice?

Probably one of the most over-looked areas that Christians struggle with inconsistency is in their devotional life. It's easy when you have a routine. Wake up, do your devotions, get ready, eat breakfast, brush teeth, go to work, etc. But what happens when the routine changes? For me, I've been at school the last several months, and it was so easy to get into a routine! I had it all figured out, and I was able to spend time in God's Word and prayer. Now that I'm home, I have to develop a new routine. One that will keep my devotions in check. So, I decided to sit down and figure out how to do this.

Here is where you come in. I once was challenged to a “No Devos, No Breakfast” challenge. That didn't have much effect on me because at school I don't really eat breakfast (I know, not good). Needless to say, it didn't work very well, so I decided to change it to something that will affect me. For the next two weeks, I want to challenge you to with the “Consistency Challenge.” I have decided that for the next fourteen days I will take on the motto “No Devos, No Facebook.” If I don't have my devotions, I don't have Facebook that day. It may be something else that will work for you, Google+, Pinterest, or maybe your favorite TV show or hobby. I really think that if you accept the challenge with me, you and I will see God work in great ways! You'll see that the more you get to know God, the more you love Him. We often underestimate how amazing He really is.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” God wants us to seek Him. He wants to spend time with you! Let's not pass up the privilege we have to spend just a few minutes every day getting to know our Savior.

Are you up for the challenge?

The Danger of Growing Up

“Lord, we trust you with our eternities, why can't we trust you with our lives?”

This is the prayer that my resident assistant prayed in our meeting. My thoughts began to drift. Why? Why do I trust God for something so great yet not for something so small? I trust Him to care for me for time unending but not for just a few short years.

We start out our Christian life just like a child. We take God at His every word. We trust Him. We are so sure of Him. Just like a little baby may walk right into a pool, we would take that step of faith off the cliff knowing God will help us soar.

But then, we grow up.

You have more fear of danger now than you did as a child. You may be afraid of roller coasters, of flips on a trampoline, of drowning in the ocean, of safety while traveling. When you were younger, the thought of being hurt may have never crossed your mind. Just like this, we are more scared now than at the beginning of our Christian walk. At first, we are excited; now, we are anxious. Instead of growing up God's way, we grow comfortable in our Christian walk. We become spiritually sure of ourselves. We think we know enough to decide on our own future. We think we know better than God. And when things don't go exactly our way or we don't know what is going on, we are scared of His plan.

But why? God is the same God now as He was in the beginning, as He was when He saved you! Malachi 3:6a says, “For I am the Lord, I change not.” And we know that God thinks the best for us (Jeremiah 29:11). So why do we fear? Why trust God to save you from the biggest danger of your life but doubt Him in the small things? Where did the saving faith go? I encourage you to grow up spiritually, but let God be your Abba Father. Still trust Him with that child-like faith that brought you to Him in the first place.