So yea. Winter Retreat 07 rocked.I can't believe how openly God blesses people and wants them to know He is there. The speaker was a little crazy and had a weird method of presenting his points, but his point was strong overall. The unity in our youth group was so much stronger than I have ever seen it before. It was amazing and refreshing to see and experience. So here comes my blog for the... however long it is til I get around to posting again.
One of the things that was stressed during Winter Retreat, at least to me, was the fact that everything that happens isn't exclusive to us. From the stress of high school, to whatever boyfriend/girlfriend problem that is happening, to the death of a friend, it's not known only by us. It even says that in the Bible. Jesus lived His life on earth. He went through the same temptations we go through and we face on a daily basis, yet He didn't let it get to Him.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
- Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"
- Hebrews 13:1-3 (The Message)
I love how the first verse uses the phrase "surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses." When you think about it, we really are surrounded by a group of people watching. When you start your Christian walk, there's usually a noticeable difference in how you act now and how you acted then. Things change some.
Like it says in the next part of the verse, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." What could be something that hinders or entangles you? Work? Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Some addiction? Friends? All of those things aren't inherently evil or bad for you. It's how you manage your time and the way you act when these things are presented to you that make it able to hinder you.
I like Message version of the next part of the verse. Not necessarily better than the NIV version, they just seem to compliment each other. "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever." Like I mentioned earlier, Jesus spent time as a human and was tempted just like we were. He managed to make it through this life without sinning once. He literally is the perfect example of how to live our lives. He was persecuted and everything was working against Him. We need to study how He lived and how He persevered and learn how we can do it too. The reward for following that is mentioned in the next part. "sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." If we persevere and try to live like Jesus did, then we will get to spend eternity in God's awesome glory.
The last and most encouraging part is gonna come from the Message version of the text. "When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" It's stressed throughout the passage to study how Jesus lived. Here are instructions of what to do if we happen to be bogged down or tempted or going through a storm in our life. Look to Jesus! Go over the story of how He won the race again and know that His power is right there next to you. He is there holding you and strengthening you and giving you little nudges.
What encouraging news. Jesus gave us an example of how to live. He went through what we went through. Nothing is exclusively known to us. When we think that what we are going through has never happened to anyone else before, we can know that Jesus has. I don't know how much more inspiring that can get.
Stay strong.
God bless.
Ben
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