To open this posting, I want to ask a question. When was the last time you were moved to tears by worship? When was the last time you were that overcome by emotion in the presence of God?
Think about it for a moment before you keep reading. Picture that moment in your mind and feel it in your heart.
To share mine, it was today at my first service at the Williamsburg Christian Life Center.
For me, it's the fundamental truths of our wonderful faith that hit me every time. During worship today, I can't remember exactly what point was made or what song was sung to get me onto this mindset, but I suddenly started thinking about everything God has given us, from that very beginning ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...", Genesis 1:1) to that last moment when Jesus gave His life for us ("For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life...", John 3:16) and until now ("In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed...", Psalm 139:16).
When presented with that, a simple sentence echoed in my mind and heart. So simple, in fact, that it consists of merely two words.
I give.
God has given us everything. How can we not feel compelled to give back with cheerful hearts when presented with that simple and fundamental truth?
One time before that, when I was a counselor at the wonderful Christian camp Camp Highroad that has shaped my faith so much, I was holding an open discussion with some of my campers. I can't remember what question one of my girls asked, but the answer I found for her in Scripture was one that is familiar to many, and one that I have already quoted in this blog posting. I'll write it out one more time, though:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
That's right, John 3:16, a frequently-quoted verse. That was the first time it really hit me, though, in its fundamental truth.
He died for us. He died for you. He died for me.
Since the days when those fundamental truths became fundamental truths, we've come up with a lot to distract us. Sometimes the things people try to communicate get complicated and convoluted. We don't spend quite as much time as I think we should just thinking about some basic fundamental truths.
God made everything and gave it to us.
God calls us to give back to Him.
God died for us because He loved us and still loves us with the deepest love you can ever imagine and then some.
There are some other truths that are just as important, but these three have been defining points for my faith and therefore they're the ones I wanted to share.
I'll leave you with some of the words of one of my favorite hymns and then one of my favorite songs. They're really quite similar.
The hymn ("Here I Am"):
'Whom shall I send?'
Here I am, Lord
Is it I, Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go, Lord
If You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.
And the song ("Alabaster Jar"):
This time that I have left is all I have of worth.
I lay it at Your feet, Lord; it's less than You deserve.
Though I've little strength, and though my days are few,
You gave Your life for me so I will live my life for You!
Like You spilled Your blood, I spill my heart
As an offering to my King!
Here I am; take me as an offering.
Here I am, giving every heartbeat for Your glory.
Take me.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Young but Faithful
I must say I was in for a surprise when I walked into my Methodist church on campus at 8:05 or so this morning for the 8:15 service: there was a severe lack of young people despite the church being easily located by undergraduate admissions. At first I was shocked- would I be one of the only ones to regularly go to service? Was everyone else on campus just not Methodist and attending one of the other churches? Then I remembered a conversation I heard between two people last night.
In that conversation, both parties felt that church was a thing they could start up later, and all they really wanted to do with their Sunday morning was sleep in. I would be the first to admit to not necessarily going to church every Sunday, but if you don't start going to a church when you move into a new area, then when will it be? It just keeps getting put off until later and later until finally it just doesn't happen.
Really, what better way is there to spend a Sunday morning than in worship of the Lord who created that same morning? For that matter, what better way is there to spend any moment in time?
There isn't. One of the best and most fulfilling ways to spend our time is in giving it back to God, and one of the best ways to start doing that is to go to a church service.
To young people who may have been like me and discouraged by our general lack of attendance, I was flipping through my Bible and found a few verses:
"But Jesus called for them and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.'"~ Luke 18:16
"Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."~ 1 Timothy 4:12
"Remember you creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain; in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."~ Ecclesiastes 12:1-7
My experience, which is admittedly not much, is that people tend to go to God when something big happens in their lives and they feel they need Him or need to thank Him. The truth is, you always need Him, and it is better to start early in growing in your faith before storms come to rock it- a sentiment shared in the verses above from Ecclesiastes. If you wait until a faith-testing moment to come to God, what faith will you have? The tree from the mustard seed of your faith may not have strong enough roots to last. If you build it up early, your faith can take you anywhere.
So, a note to all those folk like me, young and ready and eager to take our places in an ever-changing world: Don't lose sight of your faith, and take care of it even when you're coasting by on an easy ride in life (which isn't often). Don't say, "Oh, I can catch up with God later"- procrastination doesn't work too well in life and it doesn't help you spiritually.
As for my experience with going to church, maybe the 11:00 service would have more young people or maybe more will show up next week when it's not move-in weekend. I certainly hope and pray so.
In that conversation, both parties felt that church was a thing they could start up later, and all they really wanted to do with their Sunday morning was sleep in. I would be the first to admit to not necessarily going to church every Sunday, but if you don't start going to a church when you move into a new area, then when will it be? It just keeps getting put off until later and later until finally it just doesn't happen.
Really, what better way is there to spend a Sunday morning than in worship of the Lord who created that same morning? For that matter, what better way is there to spend any moment in time?
There isn't. One of the best and most fulfilling ways to spend our time is in giving it back to God, and one of the best ways to start doing that is to go to a church service.
To young people who may have been like me and discouraged by our general lack of attendance, I was flipping through my Bible and found a few verses:
"But Jesus called for them and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.'"~ Luke 18:16
"Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."~ 1 Timothy 4:12
"Remember you creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain; in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."~ Ecclesiastes 12:1-7
My experience, which is admittedly not much, is that people tend to go to God when something big happens in their lives and they feel they need Him or need to thank Him. The truth is, you always need Him, and it is better to start early in growing in your faith before storms come to rock it- a sentiment shared in the verses above from Ecclesiastes. If you wait until a faith-testing moment to come to God, what faith will you have? The tree from the mustard seed of your faith may not have strong enough roots to last. If you build it up early, your faith can take you anywhere.
So, a note to all those folk like me, young and ready and eager to take our places in an ever-changing world: Don't lose sight of your faith, and take care of it even when you're coasting by on an easy ride in life (which isn't often). Don't say, "Oh, I can catch up with God later"- procrastination doesn't work too well in life and it doesn't help you spiritually.
As for my experience with going to church, maybe the 11:00 service would have more young people or maybe more will show up next week when it's not move-in weekend. I certainly hope and pray so.
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