“Can I go to Bible camp?” I heard of all the wonderful experiences my brother had the year before when he went to Bible camp. With all my heart I wanted to experience the goodness of God. Unfortunately, my parents could only send one that year. I did go to Girl Scout Camp because I sold enough Girl Scout cookies! However, I thought that camp was the way to learn about God, so I needed to go to Bible camp too! When he returned home, he took the best notes for me and shared everything he learned. He is an amazing writer and some of his writings he turned into songs. It was so wonderful because I can see how God was working through my brother. He came home to share the Good News.
Later that summer, my mom told me I was invited to go with my friend Abigail to day camp. She visited her family next door to my house once a year, and she didn’t want to go by herself. I thought it was the best gift ever!! It was like Bible camp except during the day. Day camp lasted for two days, and two days was like forever to me! I remembered the delight I had in my heart! I finally made it to Bible camp!! I wanted to experience the goodness of God! I memorized the fruit of the Spirit too! I even earned a Lollipop that never tasted so sweet. Everything that day seemed sweeter!
It turns out the sweetest part wasn’t the Lollipop I earned, it was what God was doing in my heart! This brought me to this verse in Psalms. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” Psalm 34:8-10 ESV. The pull on my heart I couldn’t ignore! Jesus was knocking on the door of my heart! I asked my friend about what I was feeling and asked questions about Jesus. I knew I needed Jesus! I knew I sinned and I felt helpless about it. I didn’t like the consequence of sin! It scared me too. Jesus loves me and paid the price for me and died on the cross for my sins. I didn’t have to earn His love and forgiveness. He already loved me. The last day at camp, I accepted Jesus in my heart! This gift I received is free to me and for everyone. I was so excited and wanted the whole world to know just like how my brother was when he came home from camp and shared the good new to me. I didn’t know what to do next, so the first thing I did was memorize the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:5-15!
God does give the desires of your heart! He created me and you in His image and knows everything about us. (Psalm 139) He made a way for me to go to camp when there seemed to be no way at all. It turns out the best gift I could ever receive in my life is the day I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior! Jesus paid for all my sins but not just mine every person in the whole world once and for all. Roman’s 6:23 NLT “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” Psalm 37:5-7 ESV
Petra is one of the first Christian artists I started listening too!
Creed
Song by Petra
I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ His only Son
I believe in the virgin birth
I believe in the Man of Sorrows bruised for iniquities
I believe in the Lamb who was
Crucified and hung between two thieves
I believe in the resurrection on the
Third and glorious day
And I believe in the empty tomb and the
Stone that the angel rolled away
He descended and set the captives free
And now He sits at God’s right hand
And prepares a place for me
This is my creed, the witness I have heard
The faith that has endured
This truth is assured
Through the darkest ages past
Though persecuted, it will last
And I will hold steadfast to this creed
I believe He sent His Spirit to comfort and to reveal
To lead us into the truth and light, to baptize and to seal
I believe that He will come back the way He went away
And receive us all unto Himself, but no man knows the day
I believe He is the Judge of all men, small and great
The resurrected souls of men receive from Him their fate
Some to death and some to life, some to their reward
Some to sing eternal praise forever to our Lord
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bob Hartman
Creed lyrics © The Bicycle Music Company
Psalms 34:1-22 NLT
“I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”
Psalms 37:1-40 NLT
“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. But the wicked will die. The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke. The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial. Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.”
