Just finished meeting with leaders and youth directors from all over Europe. We gathered in the country of Serbia to plan for the next Youth Congress to be held in the city of Novi Sad.
For those of you interested in history the city was originally founded in 1694, when Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin fortress, a Habsburg strategic military post. In the 18th and 19th centuries Novi Sad became an important merchant and manufacturing center, as well as a center of Serbian culture of that period, earning the nickname Serbian Athens.
If you ever have the time to visit Serbia and the city of Novi Sad the Petrovaradin fortress is a must to visit. It was known as the “Gibraltar of the Danube” and acted as a shield against the invading Ottoman Empire. In fact our guide pointed out that during its entire existence the Petrovaradin fortress was never conquered. And for those of you who like looking for treasure there are several Geocaching spots around the city.
We are hoping, by the grace of God, to have between 2000-3000 young people from all over Europe attending the conference in the summer of 2013. Please pray for this congress that God will work in the lives of these young people as well as in the hearts of the people of Novi Sad.
That brings me to some words of encouragement on your faith journey. During one of our planning sessions we prayed together and brain stormed around a possible theme for the week. Several themes were proposed but one theme really stuck in my mind was the theme: The Power of One.
I don’t know if you have noticed it but we live in a culture that constantly shines a spotlight on the pretty or especially gifted people (usually both at the same time!). I would go so far as to suggest that we live in a celebrity-focused culture. Just think about all of the media devoted to celebrities that we are bombarded with on a daily basis.
Now it would be great if the church was immune from this culture, but it isn’t. I have found that even the Christian community tends to highlight our best people, from musicians to speakers, to those involved in doing incredible ministry. While I’m not saying that this is necessarily wrong, I am worried that there are many of us (especially our young people) who become disheartened because we know our efforts don’t come anywhere near the skills or successes of the extremely gifted. I am even more concerned that some of us give up attempting to make a difference when we think we can’t measure up.
The truth is most of us will more than likely never be celebrities in the eyes of the world or even within the Church but we need to remember that God has not called us to be famous but to be faithful. He has primarily called us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and then to love one another with that same power – The Power of One (Matt 22:37-40).
He calls us to give ourselves away to serve others. The needs of our world are great, and we cannot do everything. Still, as part of the body of Christ, the Bible makes it very clear that we all have a unique and invaluable role to play in the plan of salvation. God has purposely designed and commissioned each and every one of us for doing good works in His name.
So we need to stop playing the comparison game. Or at least I need to stop comparing myself with other people. Anyone who plays that game loses (I speak from personal experience). I have found in life that there will always be someone else who does things better or is more effective. On the other hand we are all called to serve Jesus Christ. Our goal and desire in life should be solely to please Him and nobody else.
In closing, let us make a commitment each day to serve Jesus to the best of our abilities. Just remember: I cannot do everything but by the grace of God I can do something to serve the kingdom of God. This is the Power of One!
God bless
Berny