HPYC 2014: Live With Abandon
The 2014 theme for Highland Park Campmeeting and Youth Camp this year is “Live with Abandon.” When I first heard the name of this Newsboys creation, I thought… really? Live with abandon? That sounds like a rather reckless message to be coming from a Christian Band. Typically, the phrase “live with abandon” means living in total surrender to something, with complete disregard for anything else. Usually, that abandon refers to following our wants and desires without any regard for any moral implications. This is no way for anyone to live. As I soon learned, it gets scarier than that.
Michael Tait and Duncan Phillips describe it as letting go of your life and letting God take control. They say that human beings don’t feel comfortable with that. We want to take control, and we want to fix our problems ourselves. Living with abandon is all about giving up control of your life and giving it over to God.
Paul lived with abandon, but not to his own desires or natural instincts. He lived with abandon to the will of God, and he gave up all control over to God without any regard for his own life.
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jeusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has giving me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s Grace.”
- Acts 20:22-24 -
We all go through a lot of rough times in our lives, and those rough times seem to follow us wherever we go, whether it be to school, to our homes, or to our workplaces. Sometimes the problems seem bigger than us, and sometimes they are. This is when it just seems natural to give up the control, and give the problems to God. He’s really good at those. He’ll walk you through it.
Now for the scary. How about when things are going great? Or when there’s something you really want? Can you give it up for Jesus Christ? I am happy to say that I don’t live with abandon to my natural inclinations; however I do play it safe in my life far too often. I can only pray that God will show me how to live the life he wants me to, instead of the life I want to.
I would like to invite you to our Youth Camp and our Campmeeting this summer to learn alongside with me, and the rest of our Highland Park congregation, about living life with abandon to Jesus Christ. If it’s not a life changing experience for you, you’ll still get something out of it by learning how to build your relationship with God, or maybe even start your walk with Him. Come join us at 7:30 p.m. any nights from July 27-August 3, and then hang out and enjoy some great ice cream afterwords.
- by Jack Grimes