After-camp effects..

It's been 2 weeks now since the Annual Bible Camp took place and still it seems like yesterday to me. Even though I'm consolidating my thoughts on re-structuring my program, my mind still wanders off to every detail that I've experienced in camp. With that, I smiled to myself facing the monitor and decided to take a break off from my work and start to pen down how the 'after-camp' effects on myself. Honestly speaking, I'm thrilled to write the things I've learnt and experienced in the camp itself. The words, "Don't Waste Your Life" still echoes in my mind accompanied by the loud and empowering voice from Andrew Cowell keeps repeating in my head as my days go along. True enough I've gotta remind myself this all the time because we humans are very forgetful people and tends to lose focus in life as the days goes by.

On the first night of camp, Andrew Cowell have already pound this fact into our ears and emphasizes that this fact, "Don't Waste Your Life" is a wake up call for those who live lives according to what we believe it's right or were told to be right. I was there smiling as I thought that were only applicable to those "young" kids attending this camp. But I soon realized that the speaker then turned the tide and starts to question our means of life, yes..pointing the finger to those working adults such as myself. Are you storing up your wealth now?Just like what your parents or friends tells you how you should live your life and how we should earn our first
million at the age of 30?We have so many medias that tells us how to live and live life to the fullest and gratifying our desires so much so that the world now force us to think and live this pattern of life."What a life!", one would say when a person retires at the age of 30 and spends his whole life partying. Cool isn't it? Imagine that you don't need to work anymore once you pass 30 years old and starts to do what you like with millions of dollars at your expense. You would have your breakfast in China this day and take your dinner in Italy in the same day to enjoy different delights in one single day! Awesome man..Anyone including myself would want
those kind of life! I mean, who wouldn't?(Honestly speaking)

The speaker then tells us a story from the Bible which records the about the rich fool that stores too much for himself and God took away his life that very same night he got rich. Let's take a look on that story, LUKE 12:13 - 21 reads

"Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritence with me." But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'"So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." "

But but..isn't that logical?If that farmer were you, you would do the same too right?I mean, there's no where to place all the crops therefore it is only logical to tear down the old one and build bigger storage to store it right?I don't see anything wrong in that thought, in fact its a smart choice right?Do you mean that God doesn't like rich people?Does it mean that God won't bless us with such blessings?Nay, That wasn't the reason God punishes that farmer..It was because of self-centeredness that was wrong. His entire objective and purpose was wrong when he thought that he could retire young and take life easy to eat,drink and be merry all the days
of his life. He tries to gratify his own desires to the max and concentrates only himself.He forgot that all his riches are from God: the fertile soil, the rain, the sun light and etc.Instead of remembering what God has done and given, he plans to edify himself to the fullest. What's worse? He don't even have God in his mind and live life fully for himself only. That is
why God said, "You Fool!" because it is not the farmer who controls his own life but it is God and what good if a man gain the whole world but loses his soul. Till now, this passage still rings in my head, the message of living for God is amplified in my life each day.I don't want to be rich
to the world but I wanna be rich towards God.

From that night onwards, I recollect my thoughts and question every decisions I've made in life. Did I make those decisions just purely to achieve my selfish desires and ambitions?Or am I blessing others or edifying others in the decisions I made?Can I please God even though God blesses me with material riches?Surely I can, if I put my first priority and focus to God and I have made that decision to do so that night.Now pray that I will be able to uphold what I've commited to God.