Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the RCYF students and sponsors at Rocky Mountain High. It was very encouraging to see people of all ages who are passionately pursing God’s heart. Throughout this week I was able to witness: the Holy Spirit moving, lots of repentance, students and adults committing and recommitting their lives to Christ, passionate worship times, stories of people making a difference in their schools and communities, students going to bed at a decent time so they could get up to spend time with God, J (wow, huh) radical faith and devotion, and speakers who challenged us to live a life of radical devotion after Rocky.
Many seeds were planted! Now the question is what will happen to those seeds? Will they fall on rocky ground (nice pun J) and develop no roots? Will they be choked out by weeds? Will they fall on fertile ground and produce an abundant harvest?
As youth leaders we met each night to discuss this. We talked about how we need to provide environments where students feel valued and empowered. Places where kids feel inspired to grow in their faith. Places they feel free to make mistakes. Places they feel overwhelmed by grace and mercy as they make mistakes. Places where they feel encouraged to pursue God with radical devotion.
My prayer is that we as a church will do this. The worst thing we can do is mistake passion for immaturity. Our Lord Jesus was a very passionate man. In Scripture we see him show all kinds of emotion and zeal. David, a man after God’s own heart, bared his soul in the psalms. He was a man who made many mistakes but eagerly ran to God after. One cannot read the psalms or about David’s life without seeing passion and authenticity. The best thing we can do as a church is see passion as maturity and embrace it. Not only embrace it but strive after it.
This week convicted me of areas my heart had grown stale. I had two choices. I could have ignored it and acted like I had it all together for the sake of protecting my image or I could acknowledge it, repent, and run after God. I am choosing the later. Thanks students for allowing God to bring conviction and freedom through your lives. Keep the passion; live lives of radical devotion; bring revival!
God Bless You All,
Andy Anderson