The life of a youth pastor can be pretty sweet.
Every summer I spend a couple days with my wife and kids at the Great Wolf Lodge. Our church’s kid’s camp is held there and it’s our duty to attend.
Our main job is to connect with kids, attend services, and enjoy our time with our children.
Wow, how fun is that!?
As a family we feel loved and honored to get to hang with the Kid’s Life team.
A couple summers ago I drove out to speak at a summer camp at Fort Flagler on the Washington State peninsula. The youth ministry I spoke for was incredibly hospitable to me.
While I was there I was pampered and well taken care of. About 30 different times I was asked if I needed anything…
“Another water?”
“More food?”
“Let us know if we can help,” was the constant refrain.
I felt like a minor C-list celebrity. Did I deserve this kind of treatment?
No, I was simply coming up to bring the message they were paying me to deliver.
These recent examples show how my family and I have been blessed by association. We received both invitations, not because we deserved them, but because of our connection to who was hosting the camps.
The Kid’s Life team from our church wanted us to come and hang with their students. The pressure was off. We went to connect with the students, particularly those that are transitioning up to youth. My girls got to enjoy three fun vacation days at a great water park because they’re connected to me. They too were blessed by association.
The opportunity to speak at the youth summer camp was because of a friendship that formed in part because of my senior pastor, Brian Dolleman. The youth pastor I spoke for and PB have been friends for years and as a result I got the call to go and speak.
The only thing I had going for me was that I was connected to P. Brian. I was blessed through my connections, or to say it another way, I was blessed by association.
The Bible is full of examples of being blessed by association.
Joseph’s family was spared and prospered even after they treated him poorly. That’s a great example of God’s grace and blessing at work.
The Israelites were blessed and rescued through their connection to Moses.
Esther saved her people from the threat of complete genocide.
I could continue…
Check out this passage from Romans 8:15-17
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.
Because of our connection / association with Jesus we are blessed! Walk in that truth today. You can’t earn it, you can’t force God’s hand, and you can’t make it happen in your own strength. You’re blessed because of your association with Christ.
You’re HIS kid!
We live a Blessed Life because of His Grace!
Let me wrap up this post by asking you these two questions:
1. Who are the people you’re blessed to be in association with? Your parents? Peers? Pastor?
2. Who is blessed because they’re in association with you?