by Kristen Lim
“Do you want build a snowman?” sang the youth (a song from the animated movie, Frozen) as we drove up to Big Bear for our joint winter retreat with the LBCLA youth group. Earlier this month the Lumos youth ministry had the opportunity to spend a weekend away from home to grow in their walks with God as well as build relationships with one other. The retreat was filled with inner-tubing, snowboarding/skiing, silly games, late-night snacks, and of course digging deeper into God’s word.
The theme of the retreat was “Blessed” coming from Matthew 5:1-12. Before diving into this passage, Josh did a great job of setting the groundwork that salvation is by grace alone, but it never comes alone because God will transform the heart of one who is truly saved and produce fruit of Christ-likeness. So rather than just reading this description of a blessed person and trying to live up to these standards, we were challenged to examine our lives and honestly ask ourselves if we are in the kingdom of God to begin with. Are we “poor in spirit,” recognizing that we offer nothing good before a holy God but only dirty rags of sin? In Christ alone, by faith alone can one be redeemed from the bondage of sin and have a regenerate heart that in turn loves God and desires to please Him. That has to be the starting point, because if not, then that person is not blessed and the passage is not applicable to them.
As we embarked on this study of the beatitudes, we found out that the very word “blessed” needed clarification because much of our perception of happiness and joy have been influenced by the world. What does the world define happiness to be? Money, success, admiration, popularity, comfort, no trials, and basically summed up by “life is all about you.” The world tells you to live your best life now and to do whatever makes you happy; God is nowhere to be seen. The Bible speaks clearly that those who are redeemed are not promised a “happy” life, but rather persecution, trials, rejection, loneliness, and suffering. If you knew that you wouldn’t experience any happiness and instead have immense pain in this life, would you still follow Christ? Would you rather have Christ than anything this world may offer? How can one be blessed and rejoice with such a circumstantially grim life?
These heart-probing questions geared us to dive in to the beatitudes and see that true joy can only come from knowing God. Those that choose to reject God and live in rebellion to the Creator and true King will eventually face the just sentence of God’s wrath. But in contrast, the children of God can rejoice because God has shown us unfathomable mercy and love through Christ, and we look forward to being with our Savior for eternity without the weight of sin. We are blessed because we are part of the kingdom of God, we are comforted knowing that one day sin will be gone, we will inherit the earth when Christ returns, we will be satisfied, we will be shown God’s mercy, we will see God, we will be called sons of God, and our reward is great in Heaven.
But it is the reality that seeing life through God’s eyes is difficult to maintain in the midst of the constant bombardment of worldly ideas and selfishness wanting to take over. That’s why these retreat messages were so timely in reminding us of the great hope we have in Christ alone and that He is the greatest treasure worth giving up everything for. At the very end of the last session, Josh showed us an animation made for the song “All I Have Is Christ.” Honestly, this is a difficult song to sing because I can’t sing it half-heartedly. Do I really believe the words that I’m singing? Is all I really have Christ? Or am I clinging tightly to selfish desires, my plans, my glory, my way? The retreat messages provided much to chew on and helped all of us to refocus our hearts to seeking God’s will.
Not only was this retreat valuable for the immersion into God’s word, but it helped the youth cultivate deeper friendships with one another, and as a staff we got to know the youth better outside of the structured Bible study and small group times. I’m challenged to help the youth (and including myself) see that Christ is not just a sentiment to be tossed around on Sundays or while reading the Bible and praying, but He calls us to worship Him in every moment of our lives. The retreat sessions all of a sudden come alive when faced with a decision whether to give in to the world’s lies of happiness found in selfish pursuits, or truly believe that God’s ways are far superior and offer true joy and blessings. Being together for four days brought ample opportunities to practice applying the retreat messages in the context of relationships. The choice to be upset when others are having more fun than I am, or to rejoice with those who rejoice. The choice to wallow in anger when someone wrongs me, or to forgive and seek to mend that damaged fellowship because of the forgiveness that I have been shown in Christ. The choice to be lazy and wait to be served, or to take the initiative to look out for others’ needs and be a servant. These smattering of instances are only skimming the surface of the plethora of choices we have each day to either choose my way or God’s way.
The seemingly mundane moments of life are not so mundane anymore if viewed as a chance to become more like Christ and please God by following His will. This is not to say that a Christian will be perfect, but the longing for righteousness and detestation of sin ought to characterize a believer. God is so gracious to not leave us on our own to fulfill this high-calling of obedience to Him. His mercies are new every morning to produce in us a changed life as we allow His Word to take root in our hearts and renew our minds. It is a constant battle to fight against the flesh and the never-ending influences of what the world thinks is true joy, but God promises to be faithful to complete the work that He has started in a believer’s life, so we are strengthened to persevere in the race fixing our eyes on Christ, our treasure and reward. Truly, blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and pursues to live righteously for God’s glory (Psalm 1).
Thank you to those who prayed for the retreat or supported us financially. We had an awesome time! =) Please pray that the youth ministry would be filled with young men and women who genuinely love God and live passionately to make God big!
