“God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.” -Ephesians 2:19-22 MSG
Middler Camp has officially started here at Lake Agape! It’s so awesome to see over 80 campers here this week on the grounds. And it’s already been a busy week! Between classes, chapel, swimming, boating, and hanging out at the craft shop, camp has been bustling with activities since Sunday night!
The first night, our speaker, Kristen Raine, asked each of the campers to say something that they expected out of the week. The answers ranged from growing closer to Jesus, making new friends, eating delicious food, playing night games, to sweating a lot.
We all have expectations. And last night, we learned that even God has expectations when it comes to how we live our lives. Kristen asked the campers some things that they thought God expected out of us, answering with: sharing the word of God, helping people out, praying, reading the Bible, going to Church, and forgiving others.
Sometimes, people seem to find the rules that God sets out for us to be restrictive or overbearing. Kristen likened it to the rules of parents. She surveyed campers to see how many people heard some of these common phrases in their households, and most of the time, all most all of the hands in the room were raised:
1. Clean your room.
2. Do your homework.
3. Brush your teeth.
4. Eat your vegetables.
Ultimately, the things that our parents tell us to do are beneficial to us having a productive, safe and happy life. They’re not telling us these things because they just want to or because they can. They’re trying to help you.
The same thing goes with God. Last night, we talked about the building of the temple in Exodus. There are 15 chapters devoted to just to the instructions of how to build the temple. And when the Israelite’s followed the instructions God provided them exactly, they were rewarded with the presence of God.
Sometimes, we may think that our plans and ideas are better, or cooler than Gods. But when we follow the instructions of God, we get the chance to be a part of some wonderful things.
This week, the them is “Delanco DeLego”, based off of the 2014 “The Lego Movie”. Together, we are learning that God plans to use each of us, even Middler Campers, to spread the Gospel. Everyone of us fits in to His plan, brick by brick. But first, we need to listen to God and follow His instructions. And when we do, some awesome things begin to happen.
