Youth Camp

I’m a 65-year-old woman and I just went to youth camp.  Why, you might ask?

•I love young people and love seeing God make a difference in their lives!

•An older pastor’s wife invested in me. 

•I’m still on mission!

•I still work with/teach our youth.  

•Our youth minister needed help. 

•Youth need someone with life experience who will love them and speak truth into their lives! 

We have GOT to get over the idea that “our day of serving is over!”   It’s not over until we get to heaven.  We’re either “all in”…or we’re not.  We may think we don’t have a lot to offer—but on this trip, we needed warm-bodied-men just to make sure boys stayed in cabins at night.  We needed someone to organize meals and then to ask others to prepare meals ahead of time. We needed cooks to warm up meals already prepared.  We needed adults to go with groups of kids to activities. We needed big arms to give warm embraces to the young man who lost his mom while he was at camp.  We needed lots of adults willing to love on and pray over hurting kids.  

People may have wondered why this gray-headed lady was going to youth camp. I won’t lie…I wondered that sometimes, too.  But I never want to miss what God is doing, do you?   And if not youth camp…WHAT is God calling you to do???  You still have a mission!  (“You must each accept the responsibilities that are yours.”  Galatians 6:5)

Whatever it is…do that!

Good, Better, Best

What kind of follower of Jesus are we—good, better, or best?

GOOD

The crowd followed Jesus.  Matthew 4:23; 12:23-24

They followed him and listened to him teach.  But most came because he was healing people.  When his teaching got radical (John 6), they quit following.  

BETTER

Jesus called 12 men to follow him (many women did also).  He called them disciples—which means “to be the same with.”  Matthew 4:18-22; 10:1. He gave them power to heal diseases and cast out demons.  But they also were jealous of one another and wanted special privileges.  

BEST

Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his teaching.  She also anointed Jesus’ feet with very costly oil and wiped it with her hair.  She gave her very best and risked criticism to worship Jesus with all of her heart.   

Which are we?

Rattlesnakes

There is nothing more feared in Texas than the rattlesnake.  Its venom is poisonous and can kill an animal or person if they don’t receive an anti-venom quickly.  If you’re out walking, you pay close attention if you hear something rattling!   Two years ago, a 65-year-old man in our church was bitten by a rattlesnake while farming, and two weeks later, his 90-year-old mother was bitten by one while gardening at her country home. Both were flown by helicopter to the nearest hospital to get the anti-venom and both survived. It’s a scary deal!!

My cousin recently told me that rattlesnakes have quit rattling.  They don’t know if it’s adapting to the large wild hog population in Texas—so as not to be eaten…or if its tail has atrophied from lack of use.  So now you have to be very alert if you’re out in the country where rattlesnakes are prone to be!  

I believe our enemy is changing his tactics in the same way.  As believers are becoming more alert to Satan’s ways, he’s quit “rattling,” and viciously attacks when we least expect it and in ways we never anticipated.  

Stay alert!  Keep your eyes wide open.  Your enemy is slithering around with an evil intent.  And he’s not making a noise.

Judas

Judas was a disciple of Jesus.  He was called and chosen by him. But Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas was a devil and would betray him.  (John 6:64,70)  As I’ve been thinking on Judas, these are some of the things God has shown me…

•Judas objected to Mary anointing Jesus because the oil could have been sold and given to the poor.  The truth was Judas was the keeper of the money box and was skimming money off the top for himself.  (John 12:3-8)  Jesus knew this but we don’t know that he confronted him or stopped him. We know it was exposed at some point because the disciples wrote about it.  

•Jesus kept bringing truth to Judas and kept bringing things to the Light.  He uncovered who would betray him at Passover.  (John 13:21-26)

•Jesus withheld nothing from Judas!   When he sent the twelve out, he gave them power over demons and power to heal the sick.  (Matthew 10:1-4).  Did Judas work under the power of the Spirit…or was he a false prophet—covering up that he wasn’t working under the power of the Spirit but of Satan?

•It wasn’t obvious that Judas was a betrayer.  When Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him, they all asked, “Is it me, Lord?” (Matthew 26:22)

•Judas called Jesus rabbi (teacher).  But he wasn’t committed to him or to learning from him.  (Matthew 26:25)

•Judas partnered with the religious leaders to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver—less than $500—and with a kiss. (Matthew 26:14-15,49)

•Judas looked for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to the religious leaders. (Matthew 26:16)

•Judas was filled with remorse over selling Jesus out and took the money back to the religious leaders and went out and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:3-5). 

Apparently, days later, the limb broke and Judas fell and his bloated body exploded.  Acts 1:18 says he fell headlong and his intestines gushed out.  

•Jesus shared wine and bread and taught his disciples some deep truths after Judas left that fateful night.  He prepared them for his death.  Judas was not included.  

I think there’s so much to learn from how Jesus interacted with Judas.  Will we have betrayers who call themselves Christians in the church?  Yes.  Will there be false prophets who perform miracles? Yes. Will it be obvious they are false?  No!  God will continue extending grace, light, and truth to them—and so can we.  Should we expose wrongdoing?   Jesus exposed Judas’ stealing at some point, but he exposed his betrayal openly and in the moment.  But following Jesus’ example, the disciples all exposed Judas in their writings—for both.  I think the disciples didn’t suspect Judas because Jesus had called him!   And because they were all called, they expected him to have the same heart they did.  But we are told to “test the spirits” of others. (I John 4:1)  

We will always have toxic people—people willing, and even eager—to betray us. Jesus gave Judas every opportunity to change.  But he also didn’t allow him to control situations.  He told Judas to be quiet when he was condemning Mary for anointing Jesus with oil. 

 Jesus gave us Judas to learn how to handle a devil in our midst.