For me, as I reflect upon this, this is a culture of the world where we underestimate the very strength of our wonderful Lord! This could very well be one where we become so afraid of mistakes to occur. It becomes a very sad truth that we, who have been called by name by our Lord Jesus, becomes the very people that limit the power of the one who has called us. But I think for us, as children of God who have been called to serve in the Vineyard of God may have come to a point where we become guilty of misusing the authority given unto his by the one who has the highest honour, Jesus Christ! We may have come to a point where we have felt inferior and even jealous to a particular youth or even a group of youth! Hence, we use our authority & influence to limit these youth due to the humanness within us that makes us feel jealous & inferior towards them. In this statement, I don't condone our humanness to have these feelings but I condone that we, after years of serving God, would choose to act upon these feelings, when instead, we should rather be seeking help from God to humble us and take away our pride. And for me, I think this has become a culture that has been spread to our church leaders, which has spread onto the people in Church we associate ourselves with.
We live in a culture where we become so guilty of limiting God and the wonder he can do in his people. In other words, we become God where we plan how & when & who will his power be manifested in! And time & again, our Lord Jesus constantly proves that He is the Lord of wonder & He is the source of grace! And the 1st thought of how God constantly amazes us, is at our camp, more specifically, at the night sessions! In these sessions, I can't help but just become amazed & in awe of our God! It is in those moments when God makes his power so evident. And the spirit of God becomes evident. For me, in those moments, I just delight because I am absolutely certain that Jesus will get the credit & praise of all that is good that happened, no matter what I was doing at that session, whether playing music, interceding or laying hands to pray over a child of God. Basically, the reality of God is made known!
But for so many of us, this very physical sign of the reality of God isn't enough for us, as leaders. We just tend to forget these moments so fast. Doesn't this seem just like in the times of Jesus, where the Pharisees & Scribes would always ask for signs & wonders from Jesus to prove that he is God! But even after Jesus had done those signs & wonders to prove himself to be the Son of God, they still doubted and didn't believe! For so many of us, we fail to live out our call to be the very vibrant & radiant light of christ. And hence, we limit our youth to be better than we could ever be!
For me, I have had the absolute pleasure & honour of both guiding and learning from 2 youths that God called me to be close to! In the midst of journeying with them, I have many times, been called to be like Jesus. I have been called to give myself completely, to be of complete service to them! In the midst of this giving, I found myself receiving so much more, especially when I gave of my heart instead of my mind! In the very end, I have witnessed 1st-hand, before my very eyes, someone rising to be greater than me! And I knew that this greatness came not from me, but from the very source of all genuine greatness, Our Lord Jesus! And time & again, I have seen how they have proven unto all those that have tried to limit them! And I have come to conclude that we can be either one that limits God or one that allows God to be more & more real in one's life!
But make no mistake, all praise is only due to the God that I love, my Lord Jesus! He provided the grace to be more powerful than my humanness! He even provided the grace to be his instrument to allow Jesus to more & more real in these 2 youth's lives! Praise be unto the Holy Name of Jesus! Youths are what we, as leaders need each day to inject that vibrant flavour into our lives! We need them as much as they need us! If you fail to embrace this fact, then its time you analyze your motive & reason for serving in the Lord's Vineyard!
May we not stifle the spiritualities & desires that our youth have in their hearts! May they be allowed to make mistakes and learn to pick themselves up! Our call as a follower of Christ, is to have the humility of Jesus, to be there to help pick them up and not make them feel smaller than us! Let us be like Jesus, always trying to maximize the capabilities of each of God's precious children, young or old!
Believe that God can work in anyone, not just in you! If Jesus could change you to be who you are today, then he could very well do that in someone else! So be an instrument of Jesus to make someone great in the name of Jesus, instead of stifling their desire for God! You would surely learn so much along the way too! And if you find yourself having too much pride, go to the source of humility, Jesus Christ!
Let us work together to stop limiting the power of God in this world and also stop stifling our YOUTH in our Church! Be guiders and not limiters in their desire for God!
Praise you, O Jesus!
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