Skittles girls (fruity balls of sugar)
Natasha
Camp PatmosJust recently I asked my city director, John Sather, a question I am in the process of wrestling with, “How can I, a middleclasswhitegirl, make any impact in the inner city when I so obviously come from a different background with a well-full of different experiences? And with that, know that there may be a better representative?”
He shared this quote.
To preach the gospel of the unconditional grace of God in the unconditional way is to set before people the astonishingly good news of what God freely provided for us in the vicarious humanity of Jesus. To repent and believe in Jesus Christ and commit myself to him on that basis means that I don not need to look over my shoulder all the time to see whether I have really given myself personally to him, whether I really believe and trust him, whether my faith is at all adequate, for in faith it is not upon my faith, my believing or my personal commitment that I rely, but solely upon what Jesus Christ has done for me, in my place and on my behalf, and what he is and always will be as he stands in for me before the face of the Father. That means that I am completely liberated form all ulterior motives in believing or following Jesus Christ, for on the ground of his vicarious human response for me, I am free for spontaneous joyful response and worship and service as I could not otherwise be. – TF Torrance.
This is a freedom quote, I feel. We are free from the responsibility to always appear perfect and of actually being perfect. I know that, out of my own strife, I will be inadequate for the task of ministering the gospel. But I rest in that inadequacy. I rest in Jesus Christ. I’m free in Jesus Christ. I must speak these truths to my soul, daily. But I can be confident in my inadequacy when I’m surrounded by people that I feel I can’t possibly relate or serve well. Though I can’t relate, I know the one who does and He lives in me.
These are some pictures taken from a youth group retreat with my church. We took 70+ youth up north for the weekend to Camp Patmos. The theme was “What is TRUTH?” Praise God for connections with students, deep conversations surrounding Truth, and a weekend without CELL PHONES!
We know that Our Lord Jesus hasn’t returned yet because another soul can be won for his kingdom. One more soul was won over this weekend. A 6th grade girl, Natasha, who was invited by a friend to camp that weekend, prayed to receive Christ. Pray for Natasha.
Funny that you brought this up...
ReplyDeleteIn my devotions the other day, this issue came up as well, in relatiing to perfection. Let me read the excerpts: "It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect speciments of what He can do...Rather, God's purpose is to make us one with Himself. If you strive to be a perfect speciman, your life's determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine,living relationship with Jesus Christ and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are sick or well." (Oswald Chambers)