Let us...

This weekend was the retreat for the college ministry at my church, and it was a one of those weekends that make you think about the life you really want to live. It was so cool to see 12 college students dedicating our lives to the one who rules with truth in love. During worship or prayer, I would look around at my group, and find myself humbled and overjoyed. It is by God's good grace that he has brought this group together to make a difference. We don't just want to be Christians that go to church on Sunday morning, we want to be Christ followers who help others realize the glory of God's kingdom. During our bible message on Friday night, we laid out our vision for this group, which is found in Hebrews 10:22-25.
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
We also had a speaker with us, who talked about being a Christian in the college world. His talk centered around three S's. Seek, surround and share. He stressed the point that we need to seek Gods will and continue to read his word. It is essential to read the bible on a daily basis to stay on a straight path. Secondly, we must surround ourselves with those who are like minded. This isn't to say that we shouldn't be friends who don't know Christ yet, but rather to have accountability. Lastly, the hardest part... sharing. It's easy to talk about our faith within a Christian community, because we all believe in the same thing, but talking to others about our faith is one of the most difficult things for us. There is almost a sense of embarrassment when talking to our non-Christian friends about Christianity. Our group leader, Mike, put it this way- if we were the only person in our world who knew Christ and it was our job to tell the world about him, what would that look like? Plain and simple... to love others as God loves us.
For the rest of the weekend, we spent time in worship, games, and had our own quiet time. Getting to know people, outside of the leaders, brought so much joy to me. It's one of my favorite things to get to know people and hear more about their life. I love to ask questions and simply listen to their story. Saturday afternoon came to quickly, and it was a bummer to leave early. I can't wait to see what is in store for this group and how the relationships blossom.