神信實的愛

“How can we be more faithful? Which topics should we focus on? What can we do to be spiritually mature?”

These were the questions that stirred in my mind, as we were deciding a theme for the youth winter retreat. Yes, these were good questions with noble intentions, but they fail to address the heart of the matter. For many of our youth who grew up in church, Christianity can feel like any other subject in their academic studies or just a weekend extracurricular activity. And so their tendency is to look for formulas, tips and tricks to “get the work done”. This superficial approach will always present Christianity as a list of dutiful do’s and don’t, and church activities can become eerily similar to every other religious gathering. 

By God’s providence, an hour before discussing the theme with the retreat speaker, I was overwhelmingly reminded of God’s steadfast love. God brings life into our spiritually dead bodies (Eph 2:4-5), and he initiates the sanctification within us (Phil 1:6). Therefore rather than emphasize what we ought to do as disciples of Christ, we wanted to reorient ourselves to what God has so graciously done for us. As Paul David Tripp writes in ‘Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands’, “God changes us not just by teaching us to do different things, but by recapturing our hearts to serve him alone.” At retreat, many individuals shared moments of God’s faithfulness and his presence during the hardships & struggles. Their courageous testimonies spurred on others to share their experiences, but also highlighted God’s sovereign plan (and before that weekend, I had never heard the youth sing worship songs that loud). Rev. Tim Keller said that “revival happens when the wonder of the gospel is recaptured”. It’s not from a rigorous step by step curriculum or retreat program, but by understanding the fuller implications of the gospel to our lives. The gospel is good news because of God’s steadfast love for us.

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings". Psalm 36:7 ESV