Beholding Christ

Haha, its interesting how quickly Youth Camp past by and how I felt as if the camp went by at a snail's pace. Erm.. If you ever get what I mean. But this year's youth camp has been a really special and blessed one, and from the bottom of my heart I praise and bless the Lord for this camp.

Praise the Lord for the many truths we've learnt from His word, for the humbling of many unto obedience, for the salvation of those outside His kingdom. Thank the Lord for preparation of heart to lovingly discipline our hearts unto waiting on Him in the year ahead, refreshing our souls, renewing our minds, refocusing our focus. Bless God for wonderful fellowship, sweet and encouraging sharings from youths, great fun and games through the week. Praise Him for the great weather, for I know He has heard and answered my prayer for two good weeks of camp. The Lord held back the rain for quite a few times and showered the earth only in the night. Thank the Lord for He indeed is the Lord of the rain, and the wind! Bless Him for the willingness and service of each and every helper, consellor and committee, because it only reminds us that the Lord whom everyone is willing to give up their all and come together to serve, is most worthy! I am encouraged to see the willingness of service of many helpers through camp, may the Lord be praised! For all that camp was, is and will be to all, may glory and honor be to His holy name!

As I shared during camp, it has been to me a unique and blessed camp. [For all whom I owe my sharing about camp, here goes] I guess I have to start by sharing what has been going on in my life before camp and the part of my life which I knew I needed the Lord to work at and in.

The month before camp has been endless trainings, day after day, hour after hour. My life was not exactly in a mess; I continued to seek the Lord and walk in His ways by His spirit. My relationship with the Lord was not stagnant nor still I guess. But somehow I realised that being with my teammates day and night, I slowly found myself enjoying their company, sometimes even seeking their company. I did not outrightly do what I knew was wrong but in my mind I guess I had to be influenced by their mindset, I was comforming my thoughts to this world, desiring to be rich yet falling into temptation and a snare, delighting myself in the vain things of the world. Thankfully I never embraced them, with the Holy Spirit in me I had to struggle with these things. I sought for a time to renew and revive myself in camp, I desired that the Lord break down my high places that I may rebuild my altar and worship Him anew. I waited on Him, prayed that I may at the end of camp yield my whole life, will and all to His leading.

Then camp came, I went in praying the Lord will not only grant me a teachable and seeking heart, but also that He would teach me humility and wisdom to lead as group leader. Being leader, I had my struggles, many of them were inner struggles. The thought of being looked up and "scutinized" by people wasnt exactly daunting, it was primarily a struggle with pride and self before God. Unless I was ready to remove myself from them I cannot serve God, and I would not be used otherwise. I could only pray and wait. I was very afraid that I would not be moved or touched through camp, and that I was to return to the real world without the blessings of the Lord, but I worried in vain. For the Lord never turns away a seeking heart.. He has said that if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him! I desired to have my passion rekindled and to ascribe pure devotion to Christ. The first message spoke to me alot.. I'm sure it did in many hearts. I was reminded of how my eyes have been removed from Christ and turned towards the lust and vainity of the world. I couldnt help but think, "to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength", and cry out immediately, "Lord, let this be ever my prayer!" When pastor related the story about the man and his wife brought captive before the king, and the expression of devotion by the man to his wife that he would lay down his life if the king would release her, then when his wife was questioned by him on whom her eyes were fixed all the while, the wife explained her eyes were fixed on her husband and not the handsome king by saying, "How can I not fix my eyes on the man who would lay down his life for mine?" Should it not be that our cry be like this wife to our Saviour, "how can we not fix our eyes on Him who HAS already laid down His precious life for mine?" May we pray, "Lord turn my eyes away from vainity and revive me in your ways!" The first message really turned our hearts and eyes back unto Christ, as we went on to study the disciplines of the Christian life. And it is certain that we can never discipline ourselves for the sake of disciplining ourselves, before we could and would, let us make known our love and devotion for Jesus Christ our Lord!

The one message that really compelled me to raise my hand to ask for pastor to pray for is the one on Evangelism, and of all the disciplines, this one stood out clearly as one I committed myself to obey the Lord in. Something that pricked me was when pastor mentioned the irony in which we were indeed holding back the most precious truth from the ones we love the most. I was thoroughly encouraged when I realised also that success in witnessing is not determined by the result of the witness. If this was true, what is holding us back from witnessing to our friends? Can we not witness with full assurance our God is responsible for the response? Let us not take things into our own hands, but be faithful in the thing that God has commanded us to do- preach the gospel.

Its quite a pity that youth camp is over so quickly, I should say I am rather relucatant, however I am excited for everything that is coming up ahead. The lessons and disciplines that were learnt and reinforced, and as many youths have shared, I thank the Lord for teaching us these basics once again, may we continue to hold on dearly to these truth as we move on in our christian life. I have to say that I really appreciate the memorisation of verses because I can testify that even after camp I am able to use these words of the Lord hidden in my mind, subsequently in my heart to keep me from sin. It has indeed been a week of fun and games too.

I enjoyed my group this year alot, as much as I enjoyed my group the year before, in fact I enjoy the companion of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This year, the Religious Runners came in as champion and winning team once again! I guess we were looked upon as a group which probably would dominate in the games, but I guess it was the opposite. Our group did exceptionally well in the testings and in memorising verses, and games we had our ups and we had our downs. I am blessed each night we sit together for supper and then sharing, because I saw and heard from people I seldom came across and was encouraged. The girls like Felicia, Rachel and Serene I never knew them quite well, but I think I was indeed blessed by their sincere sharings in God. Esther and Yixiang have been great help and humble servants! Bro Joshua, Lawrence and Sis Dency had been wonderful helpers and as older consellors, I guess their sharings proved to be filled with wisdom in Christ, yet I am thankful for the sincerity too. Alex is one super cute, active and nice boy laa! Xinyi is someone who talks alot but can never share during sharings one! Haha..

Anyway Camp indeed is over, whats next?

The Lord has indeed removed my eyes from vainity and taught me to set them on His lovely face. He has rewnewed and restored me, and has revived me weary heart unto love, joy and hope in Him. Christ has taught me to seek first His will and to abide in it forever. I shared Psalms 27, and verse 4 spoke to me. "One thing I have desired of the Lord, this will I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, to inquire in His temple" Let it be our desire, my desire and your desire, to dwell and abide in the Lord all the days of our life.

For me, I am really excited about life that is ahead. I pray the Lord will continue to increase my evangelistic zeal for Him. On the first day I return for training, which is on sunday, I found strength in God to boldly invite my teammates to the cantata. I praise the Lord that a few of them will be coming indeed. Yet I realise that nothing is holding me back from witnessing the love of Jesus to any of my friends as long as there is any opportunity to do so. Let us be faithful in sharing the Word and His love, let us behold the great and mighty things He will perform for His glory. I pray the year ahead of me will be fruitful, that I would move on, away from my comfort zone to seek to minister and work until Christ comes again. It is my hope and my heart's desire that I will share with everyone in my class about God's love and salvation and lead them to Christ.

"Let us... go on to maturity!" brothers and sisters. As I shared with my group before, may we all be challenged to come back next year to camp to minister to others instead of being desperately need of ministering. Can we not see the christian race is so long ahead, are we content to remain where we always are and never move foward in the race? Be a good solider of our Lord Jesus Christ! For a soldier who goes into warfare entangles himself not with the affairs of the world. If we could only taste and see the goodness and blessedness a close walk with God can be, would we remain unmoved? My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for you whose heart have been tender and walked closely with God, be encouraged and remain faithful, for Christ indeed is coming! Yet for others, let us be praying that we may be removed from the curse of living a useless life. Let us draw nigh to the Lord and seek His face, and may we dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives! Keep thine heart, I pray, and exercise thyself unto godliness.

In fact it is not about us disciplining ourselves. Let love for Christ reign in our hearts that love, outpoured from our hearts be filed in our prayer, the meditation of His word, the stillness before Him and even in our evangelism. It doesnt start with the will to do, the same way as it never starts from us loving God. We love Him because He first loved us, remember? Let love for Christ, passion for prayer, stilness for the Word, and zeal for evangelism be rekindled each day by the Holy Spirit of God. Let us discipline ourselves unto godliness because we love God, and let love for Christ only grow each day.

Let the Word of God speak to our own hearts:

Hebrews 6:1-3
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection[maturity], not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will[a] do if God permits.

Pressing Toward the Goal [Philippians 3:12-15]

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[b] let us be of the same mind.

Christians, let us press on! (=