This post's gonna be about the many things that i took away from church camp, the theme was be, love, to serve. It's long, but please read!! ((: & sorry if my thoughts're all over the place =/

Be- being God's children, what our identity as God's child is.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -Ephesians 2:10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. -1 Peter 2:9-10
So basically, we are God's chosen people, we are His children, we were bought with a price. and we should not be 'vampire christians', meaning we only want Jesus' blood, we only want the benefits, and are only interested in the saving grace of Christ, but we dont want to follow in His footsteps, we dont want the hard part of being a christian, we're unwilling to Deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Jesus (Matt 16:24).
But as children of God, Christ should be our model, there should be an ongoing conversion of our heart and mind, and it is only obedience to God that would bring about this transformation. And you know it's hard, but we're not alone! We've got our fellow brotheres & sisters in Christ to run this race together and God has given us a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. If we really want this, God will enable us to do it. What really stood out to me in this message was that i should be assured and secured in knowing my identity in God. Meaning i should stop going back to my empty wells (seeking the approval of people), but be satisfied in who i am to God. His love for me is more than enough, and it's the only thing that would ever fill and satisfy me, and the only thing that i need. And His love lasts forever.
God created me, so i'm His masterpiece, and He does not make junk. When people look at me, i dont want them to see me, but see God in me, cause that's what He made me to be, so i want God to chisel away everything that is the me of this world (laziness, self-consciousness...), so i can be who He really made me to be. It's not going to be easy, but it needs to be done.

Love
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. -1 John 4:7-9
Love is not just a feeling, but willing (quote kimmie) It means that even though you may not feel like you love the person, you're still willing to do things because you love. Dont let love stop at the emotional level! Love is practical & selfless. & because God is love, love comes from God so when we feel like we're unable to love, we should go back to our source.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. -1 John 4:13-16
We have the capacity to love cause we're enabled to do so by His spirit, cause God has given us the Holy Spirit, and one of the fruits of the spirit is LOVE. So our ability to love is a manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit ((:
We encounter God's love in our daily walk with Him so we'll be encountering love everyday! So we'll be so filled with love it's overflowing, so spread/share it! =D

Service- Love in action. Service is no about what we do, but about who we are, and what God does in & through us.
Three things about service:
1. LISTEN:
A person who serves is a listener, cause you need to listen for cleansing, nourishment and direction. Cleansing- clear the junk from our lives, like the distractions in our lives. Nourishment- we need to constantly be fed by God so we can give ((: Direction- How can we be serving God if we dont know the direction He wants us to go in?
So, we gotta listen, & listen hard. Again, it's hard, BUT God will give us the discipline to if we're willing. "He who has ears, let him hear."- Matt13:9 & of course, after listening, we gotta OBEY
2. LIGHT
In giving light, we're to change the environment around us, to have a positive influence on those around us.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. -1 John 1:5-7
3. LIFE
Life produces life in the Holy Spirit so persevere even if it seems like what you're doing isnt working cause you never know when/how it works in the person's heart. We just gotta do our part, & pray. & dont ever judge & think that a person's impossible to save. you're not God. & dont look down on the little things you do! You never know when the littlest things you do is used in God's kingdom.

So yes, basically, this is it! Just wanna share this last thing that really spoke to me on the prayer journey. We went to a cemetry, and there are verses on the plaques right. One of them really stood out to me & it was "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7 When i die, i want to be able to say this.

Overall in this camp, i felt that God was just telling me one thing: Focus on ME, not people.

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