CWE Pre Camp Devo #2

2 Peter 1:1-5a

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…”

Hebrews 11

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.  By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.  By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.  By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.  By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.  By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.  By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.  By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.  By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.   And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,  who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—  the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

 

“THE CADDY”

 

The first and only time I met him, the wind was blowing at least 30 mph straight off of the North Atlantic Ocean. Though the sky was a deep, deep blue, it was the wind that concerned me on this day.  This was the day I was set to play Lahinch, one of the great old links golf courses that dot the west coast of the Republic of Ireland. 

He was short, had a very ruddy complexion that was weathered and wrinkled by exposure to the elements on too many days exactly like this day.  His name was Hugh and he was a professional caddy.  As a matter of fact, Hugh, who was 58 years old, had been a professional caddy for 51 years, beginning when he was a young boy of 7 years old, and spentevery day of every one of those 51 years right there at Lahinch.  My friend Bob and I had decided to spring for a caddy because we had been told in no uncertain terms that to fail to do so would produce a miserable experience.  Now, let me say in advance, I am not a very good golfer.  As a matter of fact, good golfers who are my age tend to scare me.  Anyone my age who has the time to be a great golfer must not have the time to be very great at anything else…at least that’s my reasoning.  Although the course was extremely difficult, the wind ridiculously challenging, the terrain unbelievably hilly, and the rough about 3 feet tall, I did in fact have a really good experience that day and the main reason, perhaps the only reason for that was Hugh.  Because of his tremendous experience and knowledge, Hugh knew that golf course better than he knew the back of his hand.  He knew exactly where I needed to hit every shot, exactly what club I needed to use whether the wind was in my face, at my back, or blowing straight sideways.  He also knew exactly where and how to find every ball that went astray into the tall rough and every encouraging word to say to make an old duffer like me feel like he was doing at least something right. 

I scored better than I should have…way better.  I had more fun than I can remember having had playing golf in a long time and I came away from the experience completely satisfied.  None of that could have occurred on that blustery day in Ireland if I hadn’t made one crucial decision before I ever hit my first shot…the decision to fully and completely trust Hugh, to have faith in his wisdom, even when it defied my own logic and seemed to make no sense. 

In today’s scripture passages, Peter exhorts all believers to understand that in order to lead a meaningful, purposeful, fulfilling life, we must begin by trusting in Christ.  We must begin in faith.  The entire 11^th chapter of Hebrews is spent challenging believers to live a life of faith, not simply a life of initial belief, not just a life of trusting when it is convenient, but a consistent, daily life of faith in the Father, through the Son.Nowhere will this exhortation be more important than this summer at camp.  Nowhere will this challenge be more important than this summer at camp.  Nowhere will this lifestyle be more difficult, at times, than this summer at camp.  Camp is fun, make no mistake about that.  But it is also an exercise in faith…in trust.  At times you may think you are not suited for the camp experience, the pace, the noise, the heat, the lifestyle.  You must trust.  You must exercise faith.  At times you may not understand what your purpose is in being at camp this summer.  You must live faithfully, day by day.  At times a child or a peer or a permanent staff member may challenge your patience, your resolve, your commitment almost to the breaking point.  You must live by faith.  And, if…if….if…IF you choose to trust in God’s purpose and plan which without question is bringing you to camp this summer, then you will in fact grow.  You will in fact change. You will in fact see the purpose. You will in fact have fun. You will in fact make memories.  You will in fact experience joy, unparalleled joy that only comes from trusting and acting in faith.  Now faith is being sure of things hoped for, certain of things not seen.  Can you imagine how your life might change if you really, really lived by that simple creed every day ?  Wow!!!!  This summer you can start.  This summer we can start.  Before you can begin to experience the richness of the adventure that lies ahead, you must settle once and for all, the answer to these questions: do you really believe?  Do you really trust?  Do you REALLY have faith?  Your answer could determine the richness of your life experience, not just the richness of your summer experience.  And, oh, by the way, if you are ever so lucky as to play Lahinch on the west coast of Ireland, ask for Hugh, and do exactly what he tells you to do.  You won’t regret it.