Sad to say, this is the last post of this blog. It's been amazing summer and I can't begin to tell about how God has worked and is still working at Camp Oak Hill.
I wanted to share with you guys something from the summer that I got to say in front of most of the camp. Each morning we have a camp wide time where everyone comes together and has their own quiet time for 20ish minutes. Someone then comes up and gives a short devotion. The very last week we had mostly just Jr. and Sr. high kids for the week. I had the opportunity to have the last devotion of the summer so here's what God laid on my heart to say.
---------------------------------------------
"'Let anyone who think that he stands listen closely, lest he fall.'
This is not real life. This is God's gift to you to have this week here. Here you are surrounded by your Christian friends and by counselors, whose whole reason for being here is to love on you and to share the gospel with you. And how dare you waste God's gift to you? When you leave you here you have a choice. This week, you chose to come and hear God's Word.
So, truly I tell you,
'Be doers of the word, and not hearers, so lying to yourself. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, He is like a man who stares intently at his face in the mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he looks like.'
The world would like nothing more than to see you quiet. To tell yourself that you have everything under control is a lie straight from the devil. For the devil is like a roaring lion waiting to tear you apart. For you to leave here and go back to the same lifestyle makes you a hypocrite and tells the world that Christ is the same. When you go home and make the choice to leave God at camp, the world laughs because you have lied to yourself.
'What then shall we say to these things? If our God is for us then who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also graciously give us all things?'
When you leave camp today, leave your pride here. If you believe you can change your life by yourself then you've missed everything we've said this week. You will live life as if this never happened and the whole world will welcome you home with open arms.
'But now you've come to know God, or rather, be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak, worthless, and childish ways of the world, whose slaves you want to become once more?'
Everyday is a choice. Will you choose death, or will you choose life?
Guys, will you choose to continue to look at pornographic sites or will you stand up and respect women? Girls, will you continue to compare yourself to other women, or will you compare yourself to the only thing worth comparing to... Jesus Christ? Everyone, will you choose to waste your life or will you choose to live it abundantly?
I say these things because of the love I have for you guys. Every counselor here loves you too much to let you leave here and go home without having heard of God's love.
Christ said this,
'These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full'
Christ has given us a full, abundant, joy-filled, redeemed, and renewed life. All you need to do is to ask and He will gladly give it. So, what life will you choose to live?"
(1 Corinthians 10:12, James 1:22-24, Romans 8:31, Galatians 4:9, John 15:11)
---------------------------------------
You may think some of these to be harsh words, but it is the truth. Too often Christians live lives that speak God's name but deny Him by their actions. The words I said are not words coming from someone who has everything figured, in fact I'm far from it. But the truth that I want those who read this to know is that Christ died to take away our need to follow laws and to suffer; instead, He gives us true life in Him.
It's sad thinking that this is the last blog for Oak Hill, but it's so encouraging to see God moving in my life and in the lives of those that came through Oak Hill.
God is good!
-Aaron Fleming (ajflemin@ncsu.edu)
