One Life for Eternity.
Just came back from my first camp for December. :) Cherith Youth Camp 2011 was a really enriching and fulfilling camp, where all of us learnt a lot and grew closer to God as well as other youths. Starting to miss them already... like I've said many times before, it's really great to hang out with God's family. They're always the brightest and most fun group to be around, and all of us have the best of both worlds.
The theme for this year's camp was "One Life for Eternity". It was a really strong reminder that all of us only have one life to live, one chance to have a go at it, and we have to live our lives in view of eternity. And the best way to live our lives is to dedicate it to God and live life to the fullest for Him. There are so many obstacles in our lives that can hinder us from truly living up to His expectations, especially in Singapore, where many of us are so busy with so many other commitments that can easily take up all our time. There are also distractions everywhere. We may struggle to follow God, and have temptations to "take a break" from God. But let's think about it this way: if we aren't struggling, that means Satan does not find us a threat, because Satan only tries to bring people who are very strongly rooted in Christ down. So if you're struggling, that's a good thing too! (sounds masochistic but yeah it's true) Sometimes emotions come into play as well; we may become complacent, especially when things seem to be going smoothly for us. We may start to think all our achievements are by our own doing, but let me tell you, if you ever become complacent, God will surely let you fail terribly at one point, and when you have nothing, only then will you realise that God is the sovereign one in ultimate control of everything. If we want to live our lives in view of eternity, we need to fight against all these worldly things.
We have tools which can help and enable us to live our lives to its fullest. These main tools are: grace, faith and the Word of God. These three tools are interlinked. Grace is from God; it is through His grace that we are saved, and that we can share eternity with Him. With God's grace, we are also able to spread the good news to others - it's through His grace that we have this life to live. Faith is very important in our lives. Only with true faith are we able to fully use God's grace throughout our lives. True faith will be displayed in our words and actions, and true faith must be coupled with good works. A few verses on faith include Hebrews 11:1, which says: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (ESV) and James 2:17 (context is James 2:14-17): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (ESV) Only with true faith in God can we live life to the fullest. Matthew 17:20 says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains and nothing will be impossible for us. The Word of God is also intertwined with the rest of the tools God has equipped us with (as can be seen from above). God's Word is the best guide as to how we should live our lives. With His Word we know how we should behave, how we should think, the actions we need to take. All these tools equip us to live Godly lives, for God.
Our quest in this world is to be a living testimony for others, particularly non-Christians. We are to display the love and grace of Christ through our actions and words. It isn't easy, and we will be prejudiced against, but living for God is never an easy task. With our tools, are we willing to live our lives just for Him and not be distracted by the world?
If you knew you had only 5 years left to live, would you be doing anything differently from now? How about if you had only 5 days? And what if in 5 days' time, Christ is going to come again? What would you do then? If we are living our lives to the fullest, we will be living the same way no matter how long we have to live - to our fullest.
No one knows when they'll die. But even if I had only a few hours left to live, it still isn't too late. Live life in view of eternity. There's only one chance.
VOTD:
"Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:35 (ESV)
One Life for Eternity.
Just came back from my first camp for December. :) Cherith Youth Camp 2011 was a really enriching and fulfilling camp, where all of us learnt a lot and grew closer to God as well as other youths. Starting to miss them already... like I've said many times before, it's really great to hang out with God's family. They're always the brightest and most fun group to be around, and all of us have the best of both worlds.
The theme for this year's camp was "One Life for Eternity". It was a really strong reminder that all of us only have one life to live, one chance to have a go at it, and we have to live our lives in view of eternity. And the best way to live our lives is to dedicate it to God and live life to the fullest for Him. There are so many obstacles in our lives that can hinder us from truly living up to His expectations, especially in Singapore, where many of us are so busy with so many other commitments that can easily take up all our time. There are also distractions everywhere. We may struggle to follow God, and have temptations to "take a break" from God. But let's think about it this way: if we aren't struggling, that means Satan does not find us a threat, because Satan only tries to bring people who are very strongly rooted in Christ down. So if you're struggling, that's a good thing too! (sounds masochistic but yeah it's true) Sometimes emotions come into play as well; we may become complacent, especially when things seem to be going smoothly for us. We may start to think all our achievements are by our own doing, but let me tell you, if you ever become complacent, God will surely let you fail terribly at one point, and when you have nothing, only then will you realise that God is the sovereign one in ultimate control of everything. If we want to live our lives in view of eternity, we need to fight against all these worldly things.
We have tools which can help and enable us to live our lives to its fullest. These main tools are: grace, faith and the Word of God. These three tools are interlinked. Grace is from God; it is through His grace that we are saved, and that we can share eternity with Him. With God's grace, we are also able to spread the good news to others - it's through His grace that we have this life to live. Faith is very important in our lives. Only with true faith are we able to fully use God's grace throughout our lives. True faith will be displayed in our words and actions, and true faith must be coupled with good works. A few verses on faith include Hebrews 11:1, which says: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (ESV) and James 2:17 (context is James 2:14-17): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (ESV) Only with true faith in God can we live life to the fullest. Matthew 17:20 says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains and nothing will be impossible for us. The Word of God is also intertwined with the rest of the tools God has equipped us with (as can be seen from above). God's Word is the best guide as to how we should live our lives. With His Word we know how we should behave, how we should think, the actions we need to take. All these tools equip us to live Godly lives, for God.
Our quest in this world is to be a living testimony for others, particularly non-Christians. We are to display the love and grace of Christ through our actions and words. It isn't easy, and we will be prejudiced against, but living for God is never an easy task. With our tools, are we willing to live our lives just for Him and not be distracted by the world?
If you knew you had only 5 years left to live, would you be doing anything differently from now? How about if you had only 5 days? And what if in 5 days' time, Christ is going to come again? What would you do then? If we are living our lives to the fullest, we will be living the same way no matter how long we have to live - to our fullest.
No one knows when they'll die. But even if I had only a few hours left to live, it still isn't too late. Live life in view of eternity. There's only one chance.
VOTD:
"Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." John 6:35 (ESV)
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