Walk with God.

It's a chilly summer evening. Rambunctious middle schoolers are giggling and yelling across the way to one another, while they wait for the last camp service to begin. It has been a crazy, wild week of swimming in the lake, sweating from intense games of soccer and other crazy games, singing worship songs, and staying up way too late with new friends at night. It's time to get serious though. Tonight is the night the camp's speaker is going to challenge these students. Tonight is the night he will speak about God's wrath and amazing grace, hoping students will make their way up by the fire pit and kneel to surrender their lives to their Savior. The revival service is underway and students are about to hear about their sin and the forgiveness God extends to each one of them through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I remember this night at camp. I remember watching as many of my new camp friends gave their lives over to Christ. There were tears of joy and sorrow. Students hugged each other and apologized to each other for misunderstandings throughout the week. The same group of crazy kids who earlier couldn't shut up when they were asked were focused on the message of the gospel and responding to the challenge our speaker had given. The only problem about that night, which was evident to me even as a fifth grader, was that I wondered if these newly saved individuals would truly be reconciled. I wondered who would go home and forget and who would continue to submit to God's will for his life.

Colossians 3 states that when an individual is saved, he is dead to his old self and alive in his new self in Jesus Christ (verse 3). That night at camp, many students were responding to this concept. They wanted to be alive in Christ, but life in Christ means more than just that first moment of surrender. There is a responsibility each individual has in order to truly take part in this life in Christ.

Living for God means recognizing my sin (Sin: A deliberate act, attitude, or action that goes against the kingdom of God) and turning from my sin in order to be reconciled with Him (Reconciliation: reestablishing a close relationship).

And that's where many people stop. Confession, a promise to change. Done. I'm going to heaven. Check. Check. Check.

But what does it mean to be in close relationship with Him? I mean at camp, we learned that God would transform us, but they never explained what He would transform us into.

Colossians 3:10 says "Put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator". This means if I am transformed, my mind is changed and the design is to be more like Christ. SO what is "Christ-like"  ?

Verse 12 gives the answer, saying we should take on the attitudes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Furthermore, the rest of this passage calls individuals to forgive, love, and be thankful. In doing these things, we are allowing the peace of God to rule in our hearts. And the thing is that if we mess up, which we will, God continues to love us and challenge us to walk in His ways: the ways of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

My challenge today is to seek to comprehend what is means to walk with God. I challenge you to take a step beyond your camp-like faith and seek to love in the way God created us to love. Throw away that "salvation check list" and ask God not how he can make your life better, but how you can continue to walk with Him.