The Right Perspective

Consider with me these verses from Asaph in Psalm 73:

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,

   my steps had nearly slipped.

3 For I was envious of the arrogant

   when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

11 And they say, "How can God know?

   Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

12 Behold, these are the wicked;

   always at ease, they increase in riches.

13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean

   and washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all the day long I have been stricken

   and rebuked every morning.

 Have you ever heard the following quote?  “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond”?

Here we see the Psalmist reacting to the wickedness that surrounded him with envy.  If we’re not careful, we’ll have the same knee-jerk response to our world.  Why is it that the “thugs” are celebrated on TV?  Why do those who lack respect for others receive “respect” in Hollywood?  Why is it that we see wickedness lauded “all the day long”? 

Thankfully, the solution to our errant response to today’s world is the same as it was for Asaph over three thousand years ago.  We find the solution in verse 17…

 16 But when I thought how to understand this,

   it seemed to me a wearisome task,

17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;

   then I discerned their end.

It is only when we come into close communion with God that our perspective on life and the wicked world around us can be corrected.  Entering the sanctuary of God doesn’t mean just sitting in your local church once a week (or more), but also worship and hearing the Word with other believers. This is a great place to start your “perspective perfecting”!  It also might happen as you spend time alone reading God’s word and praying.  Whichever way it happens, taking time to see things as God sees them will always be worth the time you invest. 

Recently I found out that some acquaintances in my field of work were asked to present their expertise at some big-time conferences.  I felt small and insignificant and I began to lament the fact that I hadn’t been asked to share my expertise.  My focus on self overpowered my ability to consider God and His goodness to me.  The next morning as I attempted to pray through one of my prayer lists, I balked when I came to this phrase, “Lord, thank you for putting me in a place of service where I can serve and be with You.”  God used my communion with Him to show me that speaking at conferences is only important if that’s what He has called me to.  The way for me to stay close to God is to continue answering His calling on my life, faithfully serving Him in the way that He desires, not the way that gets me the most pats on the back.

So if you find yourself longing to be “a success” like those in the world around you, remind yourself that God doesn’t see “success” as others do.  He is pleased with “a broken spirit” and “a broken and contrite heart” (Ps 51:17).  Commune with God and you will find like Asaph in verses 25 through 28 that pursuing what He is passionate about will “right” your perspective on the world around you. - js

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

   And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

   but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;

   you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.

28 But for me it is good to be near God;

   I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,

   that I may tell of all your works.

Keeping up with the Joneses

"Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant, than pretend to be somebody and have no food." Proverbs 12:9

Have you ever camped out all night waiting for the “next big thing to go on sale?”  (I’m talking to you, i-pad enthusiasts).   Or have you pulled yourself out of bed at 2 AM to go to a Black Friday sale only to find out that the line is already three blocks long at the mall?

 Our society puts a lot of stock in the things we own.  You aren’t cool unless you have the latest phone or the newest gadget.  And if you don’t have an App for that you are soo last century.   This verse may seem odd in a time when slavery is not considered a good thing.  Be assured that this verse is NOT promoting slavery.  We have to take it in the context of the time it was written.  Even people of modest means had servants at that time, and people who were wealthy had many.

 Simply stated this verse is saying, don’t spend the bread money on frivolous things just so you can be as cool as your neighbor.  Most likely he is spending beyond his means as well.  If you only have enough money to buy an old flip-phone...then buying an i-phone is not a prudent choice.  And no, credit cards are not the answer to your prayers!  

 The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for our daily bread, and he will indeed provide us with food to eat.  His intention is not for us to foolishly squander money and then beg Him for more.

 There are many people who wander around with the newest and the greatest everything.  Having things is not necessarily a sin, but worshiping or needing those things is sinful.   Keep in mind that we are told to store up treasures in Heaven, and that the things of this earth are fleeting.  How will you be a wise steward of what you have been given?  How will you bless others with what you have been given?  Don't pretend to be somebody.  Be somebody who has treasure in heaven.  Be somebody who blesses the Joneses (ie. others) by sharing with them what is truly valuable rather than trying to keep up with them.   -kg

Devotional Passages for Week of March 27-April 2

Sunday:  Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20, Luke 7:36-8:3, Psalm 69:1-18, Proverbs 12:1

Monday:  Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22, Luke 8:4-21, Psalm 69:19-36, Proverbs 12:2-3

Tuesday:  Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32, Luke 8:22-39, Psalm 70:1-5, Proverbs 12:4

Wednesday:  Deuteronomy  13:1-15:23, Luke 8:40-9:6, Psalm 71:1-24, Proverbs 12:5-7

Thursday:  Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20, Luke 9:7-27, Psalm 72:1-20, Proverbs 12:8-9

Friday:  Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20, Luke 9:28-50, Psalm 73:1-28, Proverbs 12:10

Saturday:  Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30, Luke 9:51-10:12, Psalm 74:1-23, Proverbs 12:11

SB2W News Post: Captain's Weekend

This past weekend your 2011 captains spent the weekend here at SB2W preparing for this summer.  We had a blast training for godliness (I Timothy 4:7), learning about leadership, competing, and hanging out together.  Over the coming weeks, before the start of camp, we will be highlighting a different term's captains every week.  They'll be sharing with you some favorite things they love about camp as well as what God has been teaching them.  Check out some more pics from the weekend in the right margin of our blog, entitled Captain's Weekend 2011.

Devotional Passages for Week of March 20-26

Sunday:  Numbers 30:1-31:54, Luke 4:1-30, Psalm 63:1-11, Proverbs 11:20-21

Monday:  Numbers 32:1-33:39, Luke 4:31-5:11, Psalm 64:1-10, Proverbs 11:22

Tuesday:  Numbers 33:40-35:34, Luke 5:12-28, Psalm 65:1-13, Proverbs 11:23

Wednesday:  Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46, Luke 5:29-6:11, Psalm 66:1-20, Prov 11:24-26

Thursday:  Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29, Luke 6:12-38, Psalm 67:1-7, Proverbs 11:27

Friday:  Deuteronomy 4:1-49, Luke 6:39-7:10, Psalm 68:1-18, Proverbs 11:28

Saturday:  Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25, Luke 7:11-35, Psalm 68:19-35, Proverbs 11:29-31

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
   you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
   which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
   and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32

Do you remember the joy of “seeing” the salvation of the Lord for the first time?  Experiencing the love of God in the gift of His Son’s life, death and resurrection is freeing, humbling and exciting.  The account of Simeon in Luke 2 is a great reminder to me of what it looks like to joyfully respond to the great gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.  We read in vv. 25-26 that Simeon had been anticipating this day in the temple for some time, not knowing when God’s promise might be fulfilled.

 

"He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ." (2:25-26)

Maybe you “waited” expectantly or may even still be waiting for the Lord to open your eyes to the reality of salvation through Jesus.  This day the Holy Spirit nudges Simeon (and maybe is nudging you), and Simeon has “ears to hear” to the voice of the Spirit.  We read that,

"Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying...." (2:27-28)

As I read this story again, I had to pause there and ask myself if I am attuned to the Spirit in this way.  Do I listen daily to the Lord as I read scripture and as I pray?  Even more so … If I do have “ears to hear”, am I obeying Him and walking in step with his Spirit.  For Simeon, it seemed natural to follow the lead of the Spirit and this day his following led to a remarkable encounter.  I would encourage you to pray for “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” this week … and may the Spirit nudge you to follow.

If you have the time, Google “Simeon’s Song by Michael Card”.  I’m reminded of a line in that song as the lyrics build to the chorus … “Simeon takes the boy (in his arms) and starts to sing.”  What a wonderful picture of rejoicing in the sovereignty and wonder of God!  May you encounter Jesus this week in a way that makes you rejoice … even break into song! :) - KB

Devotional Passages for Week of March 13-19

Sunday:  Numbers 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Psalm 56:1-13, Proverbs 11:8

Monday: Numbers 21:1-22:20, Luke 1:26-56, Psalm 57:1-11, Proverbs 11:9-11

Tuesday:  Numbers 22:21-23:30, Luke 1:57-80, Psalm 58:1-11, Proverbs 11:12-13

Wednesday:  Numbers 24:1-25:18, Luke 2:1-35, Psalm 59:1-17, Proverbs 11:14

Thursday:  Numbers 26:1-51, Luke 2:36-52, Psalm 60:1-12, Proverbs 11:15

Friday:  Numbers 26:52-28:15, Luke 3:1-22, Psalm 61:1-8, Proverbs 11:16-17

Saturday:  Numbers 28:16-29:40, Luke 3:23-38, Psalm 62:1-12, Proverbs 11:18-19

Have Mercy On Me, O God

Have mercy on me, O God,

            according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

                blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

            And cleanse me from sin.

For I know my transgressions,

            and my sin is always before me,

Against you, you only, have I sinned

              and done  what is evil in your sight,

so that you are proved right when you speak

             and justified when you judge.

In Psalm 51, after a series of David’s biggest failures (apathy, adultery, murder, indifference), we get a picture of true repentance.  Here are a few quick observations from this passage.

1.    David acknowledges his sin.  It is “always before him”.  True repentance begins when we recognize our transgressions and our failures.  For months, David had ignored them.  It wasn’t until Nathan confronted him, that he owned up to all he had done.

2.   David understands the result.  There were all kinds of consequences to David’s actions.  The biggest, as he confesses here, is a broken relationship with God.  Eugene Peterson translates David’s words as  “You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil”.  David’s sin separated him from God.

3.   David relies on God.  There is nowhere else to turn.  David is unable to take away his guilt, to wipe away his sin, or to forgive himself.  He is completely insufficient.  He relies on God’s love and compassion to do for him what he cannot do for himself.

Here come the hard questions.

1.    Are you regularly acknowledging your sin before God?  Every Sunday during the worship service at my church, there are about 60 seconds set aside for “confession” of sin.  I LOVE that this is a part of our worship.  But if I’m only confessing for 60 seconds every Sunday, I’m only scratching the surface of the extent of my sin.  Repentance requires recognition of the sin in your life.  It’s more that just saying “I’m sorry.”  It’s taking the time to think critically about what’s going on in your heart that’s not pleasing to God.

2.    Do you understand the consequences of your sin?  Too often, the visible consequences of my sin are the ones that are most important to me.  The reality is that God sees the depth of the depravity of my heart.  To Him, there is no secret sin. 

3.   Are you relying on God for forgiveness?  My natural desire is to fix things myself.  Ultimately, there is only One who can fix us.  There is only One who can get us out of the mess that we’ve got ourselves into.  There is only One who can “create in me a pure heart” (Psalm 51:10) and lead me in a new direction. 

That One is Jesus.  The passages in Mark this week show Jesus moving towards and dying on the cross.  The cross is where my iniquity has been washed away.  It’s where my sin has been cleansed.  The cross demonstrates God’s mercy and love.

I encourage you to spend some time throughout this week (and the weeks to come) truly repenting of your sin, like David.  And PRAISE GOD that our penalty has been paid through Jesus’ death on the cross.  

-ej

Devotional Passages for Week of March 6-12

Sunday:  Numbers 6:1-7:89, Mark 12:38-13:13, Psalm 49:1-20, Proverbs 10:27-28

Monday:  Numbers 8:1-9:23, Mark 13:14-37, Psalm 50:1-23, Proverbs 10:29-30

Tuesday:  Numbers 10:1-11:23, Mark 14:1-21, Psalm 51:1-19, Proverbs 10:31-32

Wednesday:  Numbers 11:24-13:33, Mark 14:22-52, Psalm 52:1-9, Proverbs 11:1-3

Thursday:  Numbers 14:1-15:16, Mark 14:53-72, Psalm 53:1-6, Proverbs 11:4

Friday:  Numbers 15:17-16:40, Mark 15:1-47, Psalm 54:1-7, Proverbs 11:5-6

Saturday:  Numbers 16:41-18:32, Mark 16:1-20, Psalm 55:1-23, Proverbs 11:7

Radical Obedience

This past weekend was leadership weekend.  We asked our leadership team the question:  What does the gospel of Jesus Christ say to us about our pursuit of comfort?  The following video challenged us to be more obedient to Jesus Christ's gospel message.

Forced Obedience

Mark 10:18 …Jesus Answered, "No one is good-except God alone."...

Life offers many opportunities to be obedient. We are called to obey God, parents teachers, and people of authority. There are laws, rules, precepts, decrees, and many others that strongly suggest obedience. So why do we choose to obey these people and their rules? Is it because we want to avoid punishment embarrassment, and retribution? Or perhaps we desire to maintain a "good" facade to be acknowledged or rewarded based on merit?

Leviticus 20 is riddled with rules, laws, and decrees that strongly suggest a person’s accountability. It would first appear that the law is the reason for the decision to obey but perhaps the reason for obeying lies in the consequences.  For example in Leviticus 20:9 if a person dishonors his father or mother, he is to be taken outside the city and stoned. Each person has to make the decision to obey the law therefore forcing that person to follow a set of rules so that, in this instance, they can keep their life.

In the New Testament, Mark 10:17, we see the story of the rich young man who comes running and falls on his knees before Jesus Christ and asks "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Do you hear the resemblance to the attitude towards the law in the Old Testament? What must I do to avoid death or punishment? The rich young man claims to have lived his entire life following the 10 commandments, the law. Jesus Christ, in love, points out the thing the young man lacked. Upon hearing Jesus' words the man's face fell and he went away sad.

The rich young man was forcing his obedience and relying on his own ability to keep the commandments (see Romans 3:23).  He lacked the most important thing of all and that was the total reliance on God, who is the only one who can give eternal life.

Have you fallen on your knees before Jesus and asked what it is He wants for your life? Are you willing to give up everything for Him? When you truly believe that Jesus Christ is your savior, because he died on the cross and was resurrected from death, you will no longer need to force obedience for the Lord. Instead, it will bring you great pleasure to obey.

Suggested Scripture Readings - Lev 20:7, Ps 44:25-26, Rom 3:23,Rom 7:18-20, 1 Thess 5:23

 -AG

SB2W News Post: Crew Application Deadline

Just a reminder that kitchen crew applications are due this week. Click here to download an application. Kitchen crew is a great way to serve here at camp. You must be a 9th grader to apply.

Devotional Passages for Week of February 27-March 5

Sunday: Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalm 43:1-5, Proverbs 10:18

Monday: Leviticus 22:17-23:44, Mark 9:30-10:12, Psalm 44:1-8, Proverbs 10:19

Tuesday: Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21

Wednesday: Leviticus 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Psalm 45:1-17, Proverbs 10:22

Thursday: Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Psalm 46:1-11, Proverbs 10:23

Friday: Numbers 2:1-3:51, Mark 11:27-12:17, Psalm 47:1-9, Proverbs 10:24-25

Saturday: Numbers 4:1-5:31, Mark 12:18-37, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 10:26

Leviticus 17:11 Devotional

Leviticus 17:11 Devotional from Timotheus Pope .

This video is a part of the devotional series that appears on the Summer's Best Two Weeks blog. You can follow at sb2w.blogspot.com or you can follow the Citikidz blog at citikidz.blogspot.com. This video features Timotheus Pope, the director of Summer's Best Two Weeks Citikidz.

Working to the Glory of God

Typically a devotional post is on a verse from that week's provided passages.  This devotional goes back a couple weeks.  If you have been reading through the end of Exodus and any of Leviticus you probably are finding it to be tough reading.  It is tough!  To grasp it's meaning requires of you an understanding of this ancient Jewish culture.  Nonetheless, every so often though there are some verses that are very easily understood and can speak simply and powerfully to our lives.  Exodus 36:1 is an example.

"Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."  Exodus 36:1

I love the reminder in these verses that God is the one who has created us.  It is He who gives us skill, intelligence, and knowledge to be able to do His work.  God has graciously made you who you are.  He has given you skills to be developed, intelligence to be honed,  and knowledge to be further built upon.  Why has God done this?  He has given you these things because he desires that you will honor Him with your skills, intelligence, and knowledge.  These men, Bezalel and Oholiab, are not unique just because they possess these skills, they are unique because they are using them "in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."  Do you daily recognize that the talents and skills you have are 100% a gift from God?  Have you laid them before the LORD and said, 'I want these gifts to be used in accordance to what you have commanded'?  God will use those gifts in remarkable ways as we surrender ourselves to Him.  The amazing part is when we surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ we will find infinitely more delight in using those gifts because people will be blessed by them and God glorified through them.

One of our captains, Anna, recently wrote about this in a devotional.  We have been studying the book of Esther and how this young woman, Esther, was gifted by God so that she might be used to save her people.   In reflecting upon the gifts God gave Esther this captain wrote, "Even though I haven't seen beauty on an equal level as other 'gifts' like patience or excellence in sports or leadership, it really is.  Even beauty is not our own, and that helped Esther to get in the position of Queen." Esther's gifts were used to honor God in some significant ways.  You can read about it in the book of Esther chapter 4.

We want to encourage you today to thank God for the gifts, skills, intelligence, and knowledge you have been given.  Then surrender yourself to the Lord Jesus seeking for those gifts to be used in a way that God is honored.  Remember "the glory goes to God".

Ever Wonder How This Gets Painted?

This is why Jason is our High Adventure Manager, and yes, that's Tucker.

Jason's putting on white primer.  It will eventually be yellow.

Tucker and his dog, Mary Poppins

Devotional Passages for Week of February 20-26

Sunday:  Leviticus 9:7-10:20, Mark 4:26-5:20, Psalm 37:30-40, Proverbs 10:6-7

Monday: Leviticus 11:1-12:8, Mark 5:21-43, Psalm 38:1-22, Proverbs 10:8-9

Tuesday:  Leviticus 13:1-59, Mark 6:1-29, Psalm 39:1-13, Proverbs 10:10

Wednesday:  Leviticus 14:1-57, Mark 6:30-56, Psalm 40:1-10, Proverbs 10:11-12

Thursday:  Leviticus 15:1-16:28, Mark 7:1-23, Psalm 40:11-17, Proverbs 10:13-14

Friday:  Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:10, Psalm 41:1-13, Proverbs 10:15-16

Saturday:  Leviticus 19:1-20:21, Mark 8:11-38, Psalm 42:1-11, Proverbs 10:17

Can You Taste Your Food?

There are slow eaters in life and there are those who inhale food like a vacuum cleaner.    When homemade cherry pie is on my plate, I tend toward the vacuum.  As a result, the taste of my food is hardly noticed.  The very pie that I love and was so excited to eat disappeared with little satisfaction. 

I think David had similar thoughts when it comes to partaking in God’s goodness in these words from Psalm 34:8.   “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”   The Lord is good, but you might never recognize it if you don’t slow down and see His blessings.

This past month I had the great opportunity to spend some time in Haiti.  Despite the widespread “poverty”, poor living conditions, and shortage of food, it was clear that I could learn a few things from the way Haitians live.   With life stripped down to mere necessities, life itself just moves slower.  It is chewed slowly.   Without a lavish American-type lifestyle with all its idols and worthless pursuits, people in Haiti live with a clear awareness of God’s provision for their most basic needs.  As a result, there worship is incredibly passionate and heart-felt. 

When is the last time you slowed down long enough to take stock of what you have been blessed with?  Sometimes God’s goodness and blessings are incredibly obvious but we are either too busy or distracted to notice.  You have to chew your food to enjoy its flavor and you have to dwell in Christ to see His goodness.  An attitude of praise and thankfulness for Christ is then the only appropriate response, to His Glory. -SH

Devotional Passages for Week of February 13-19

Sunday:  Exodus 35:10-36:38, Matthew 27:32-66, Psalm 34:1-10, Proverbs 9:7-8

Monday: Exodus 37:1-38:31, Matthew 28:1-20, Psalm 34:11-22, Proverbs 9:9-10

Tuesday:  Exodus 39:1-40:38, Mark 1:1-28, Psalm 35:1-16, Proverbs 9:11-12

Wednesday:  Leviticus 1:1-3:17, Mark 1:29-2:12, Psalm 35:17-28, Proverbs 9:13-18

Thursday:  Leviticus 4:1-5:19, Mark 2:13-3:6, Psalm 36:1-12, Proverbs 10:1-2

Friday:  Leviticus 6:1-7:27, Mark 1:29-2:12, Psalm 37:1-11, Proverbs 10:3-4

Saturday:  Leviticus 7:28-9:6, Mark 3:31-4:25, Psalm 37:12-29, Proverbs 10:5

SB2W News Post

Thought those of you that spend the summer at beautiful Lake Quemahoning might enjoy seeing some winter pics of the property. 

Waterslide? or Luge?

Eric Johnston and daugher, Emily