Monday, March 2, 2015

Soul Link '15

This past weekend I attended a retreat in Houston with my youth group called Soul Link. 

We were supposed to leave right after lunch on Friday, but Friday morning we woke up to a lovely white blanket of snow and ice causing our trip to be delayed until 3. 
(Nothing really changed but we were all determined to make it)
Because of our delay we missed all of the activities on Friday night. But our day began early Saturday morning.

The main theme of the weekend was centered around John 15

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even  more fruitful.  
...Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself: It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 
I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.."

I forget the man's name that did the lesson (whoops) but looking back through my notes from this weekend, one thing he said really stood out to me.
He said "bearing fruit is not something we do, it's something we ARE. The command is not to bear fruit, it's to abide in Him."

When he said this, I immediately thought of when Jesus says the whole law can be summed up in one command, love.
We aren't commanded to bear fruit, we are commanded to LOVE.
 When we love others and Jesus with all we have, it's going to show through our actions even without us trying. 
The command is not to bear fruit, it's to abide in Him. 

Another thing he said that really stuck out to me was "you will spill what you're full of" 

If his words are in us, we will bear good fruit. 

He also quoted the verse from Romans 15:13 
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope."

What we fill up with is what will overflow from us. 

What are you filling up with? 

••••
Aside from the lessons, I loved the worship. 
I always love praising Him through song, but there's just something about hearing close to 1,000 teens singing out to Him together that I don't think I can even say with words. 



(Imagine 1,000 teens singing this together. All that we are is His.)

All that I am is His. 
HE is the true vine.
Apart from Him, I.can.do.nothing.








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