The Real World
We had a great time at NETSYS Camp last week. It was full of fun, encouragement, and spiritual growth. Near the end of the week, I was talking to one of the junior counselors, and she asked me, "Why can't it just stay this way? Why can't our day-to-day lives be like camp?" After the "spiritual high" of camp, she wasn't looking forward to going back to the "real world".
We all know about the real world. The one with homework. The one with chores. The one where we have to feed the dog and sit through traffic lights. Where there's no pre-paid canteen twice a day, where it takes several minutes to get from one place to another. Where people aren't always kind, and where rude talk is common. Where it's easy to get caught up in what the world thinks is important and lose track of what's eternally important.
So she had a good question. Why can't we just live in a church camp world? A world where people love God and love each other. A world where people write you encouraging notes every day. A world where people love to sing praises and stay up late talking about spiritual matters. A world where you start your day singing "This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made" and end it holding hands in prayer with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The answer? I'll tell you what I told her. It's because Jesus didn't call us to live permanently in a "Christian cocoon" where we're isolated from the world and never have to face it. Instead, He calls us to be salt to influence the world for righteousness and to be a light in the darkness. If we never faced the world, we could never share with it the love of Christ and the good news of salvation.
But that doesn't mean that you can't take a little camp with you. Sing a song of praise to God in the morning and end your day in prayer. Write a note of encouragement to someone who needs it. And share that joy with the world.
Have a great week, and let your light shine.
(From the Johnson Street Youth Group Trumpeter, 6/29/08)
We all know about the real world. The one with homework. The one with chores. The one where we have to feed the dog and sit through traffic lights. Where there's no pre-paid canteen twice a day, where it takes several minutes to get from one place to another. Where people aren't always kind, and where rude talk is common. Where it's easy to get caught up in what the world thinks is important and lose track of what's eternally important.
So she had a good question. Why can't we just live in a church camp world? A world where people love God and love each other. A world where people write you encouraging notes every day. A world where people love to sing praises and stay up late talking about spiritual matters. A world where you start your day singing "This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made" and end it holding hands in prayer with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The answer? I'll tell you what I told her. It's because Jesus didn't call us to live permanently in a "Christian cocoon" where we're isolated from the world and never have to face it. Instead, He calls us to be salt to influence the world for righteousness and to be a light in the darkness. If we never faced the world, we could never share with it the love of Christ and the good news of salvation.
But that doesn't mean that you can't take a little camp with you. Sing a song of praise to God in the morning and end your day in prayer. Write a note of encouragement to someone who needs it. And share that joy with the world.
Have a great week, and let your light shine.
(From the Johnson Street Youth Group Trumpeter, 6/29/08)
posted by Gary at 9:39 PM
.jpg)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home