Abiding in Christ

I have found this trip to be such a blessing, and I'm only 5 days into it!  I can't believe how much God is working in my life already.  I'm feeling healed of past wounds and I have also found the grace of God through forgiveness.  I am immeasurably blessed with a great support system of Godly women in my team as well.  It has been amazing how we have let walls come down so quickly and can just open up to each other.  I am finding it difficult to break down some barriers, but slowly and surely these women will definitely know me better than most.  

This week's theme has been all about Abiding in Christ, how to do that and what it looks like.  I am so grateful that this is the theme for the first week of STP (summer training program).  How can we fulfill what the Lord is calling us to do if we are not relying and resting in Him?  I am also so happy because this is one of the areas where I struggle in the most.  Jeff Graf, the director of this STP and campus director at SDSU, once said "Prayerlessness is our sign of independence from God."  I am not a very good pray-er.  In fact, it is something I get embarrassed to do sometimes.  What this week has taught me is that without asking, confessing, or praising the Lord,  no fruit will be born from me (aka I will not grow much as a Christian).  Sure I can do different things such as read the Bible or participating in fellowship... but the connection one's heart can truly make just by having a conversation with God is what will spur on our growth in Christ.

One passage that has really impacted me in the last couple of days comes from Luke 6: 46-49. 

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

 By abiding in Christ, we will build a firm foundation of our spiritual journey. It is work to build a relationship with Christ and many things will hold you back from it... (that is the digging part) but eventually you have a foundation laid once you entrust everything to Christ (the rock).  When hardships strike (Satan attacks), you may feel it and it may have some effect, but it will not shake the foundation and what you stand on (relationship with Christ).  Jesus depicts how without him, we are just a house without a foundation, that will crumble at the coming of any disaster.

The crumbling of the house also happens when we as Christians just go through the motions of being Christians without having a connection to Jesus Christ with our actions.  If I am memorizing verses just because and I do not actually want to do it, I am just going through the motions.  If I am doing something for someone just because it is the "Christian thing to do", then I am going through the motions.  If I am doing anything for the glory of God and know that the Holy Spirit is working in me,  that is my connection to Christ. Everything we must do as Christians must be for the glory of God, or else, why are we doing it?

Overall, this has been an amazing first week and I am so appreciative of the amount of support that is coming from friends, families, and even people I have never met.  God is pouring out many blessings onto all of us here at STP and we wouldn't be able to have that if it were not for the numerous prayers that a being prayed daily for our safety and fruition.  Praise the Lord for all of you and know that we are praying for you all as well.

A few prayer requests:  Please pray for patience for many of us as we are getting trained at our new job (sometimes it gets busy and can be stressful).  Also, please pray for our outreach to the international students. I just met a few more today and I am so excited to get to know them more this summer.  A few wanted to go to church with us on Monday night to see what it is like, and I am thrilled that they would want to see that.

Thanks so much for your support and love!!

God bless you all.

In Christ's Love,

Rachel Marinka