"And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16, NKJV

In recent weeks, you may have heard us spotlight the achievements of our Littleton Lights Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) team -- six of our very own Pathfinders who have committed multiple chapters of Romans and 1 Corinthians to memory in preparation for each round of testing.   We've shared updates during service, on our Facebook page, and even here in our Pastors' Blog about what we've seen in them as they advanced all the way to the Mid-America Union level of testing.  But this week, I wanted to give you an opportunity to hear about it from the Pathfinders themselves.  We asked them to respond in one or two sentences to this simple question:  "What impact has PBE had on your relationship with God/with the Bible?"  Some took more liberty with the length of response than others, but they're all powerful because they're all personal.  So as we listen, it's my hope that God's Word would be to us "the joy and rejoicing" of our hearts (Jer. 15:16) as it has become to them.

JOY SPRING

DJ Mundung:  'PBE has been a fun experience -- fun to learn about God and the Scriptures."

Gotta love it.  Studying the Bible isn't supposed to be a drudgery, but something that brings joy to life.  Here's a young person who, in spite of the effort involved, realized he was having fun because he was learning about God through His Word.  The task of study wasn't the focus.  It was WHO all that study pointed to -- and that was fun.  If we ever find ourselves dragging our feet to study the Bible, let's check our hearts to make sure we're not just trying to check something off a to-do list but instead focused on the One the Bible points us to.

Nathan Matabi:  "Memorizing scripture has helped me understand God more and what He is like."

The goal of Bible study really boils down to knowing God.  The sad history of the Jewish leaders in Jesus' day reminds us that it's possible to spend a lifetime searching the Scriptures but in the end miss the point of knowing Jesus (Jn. 5:39).

Thankfully, our young people have hidden God's Word in their hearts not just for information's sake, but for relationship's sake.  

Psalm 119:162 says, "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure."  When we realize that God's Word leads us to God Himself, we'll discover the treasure-finding joy that our Pathfinders have.

GETTING PERSONAL WITH GOD

The reality is that as we pursue God in His Word, we'll also find that He's pursuing us and speaking to us personally.  Listen to the testimonies of these young ladies.

Genna Miranda:  "The Pathfinder Bible Experience has strengthened my relationship with God in the past 3 years. I feel like whenever I dive deep in God’s word, certain things in the text stand out and speak to me and what I am dealing with in the moment. It’s like God is speaking directly to me, and this brings me closer to Him."

Emi Haynal:  "PBE has really changed my experience of the Bible by opening my eyes and helping me study the Bible more... It has gotten me to look deeper into the Bible and has helped me to change my view of things going on around me.  It has helped me to see that we should be kind, even though it’s hard, and people can be greatly influenced by even small things that we do. 

"Two verses that have helped me realize this are: 'Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.' ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. This shows that even if someone is being mean to you, you should be kind to them because their meanness will fall back on them and they will stop bullying you because they know that nothing they can do will make you feel bad and they can’t get a reaction out of you. This will help you overcome mean people in your life because being kind pays off. 

A verse that helped me realize that even small things that we do can influence how others think is: 'But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?' 1 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. My second verse doesn’t necessarily align with the topic at hand, but it shows that even if someone sees you who they respect and know that you are kind and right, if they see you doing something wrong, they will think to themselves “Oh! If that person is doing it, then it must be right, I should do that also.” This would not be fair to that person because their conscience does not know that it is wrong and you are their example. God died for them just as much as he died for you, so you should try to be a good example to everyone around you."

It's awesome to hear our youth not only understanding God's Word but personally receiving it, applying it, letting it shape their lives to be more like Jesus!  The Bible isn't just an ancient document meant for generations gone-by.  It's the living Word that speaks to our living realities.  When we draw close to God through personal Bible study, He'll draw close to us (Ja. 4:8), speak to us, and transform us by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2)

GROWING CLOSE TO OTHERS

These last two testimonies express some similar sentiments as those above, but there's another thread here that is worth highlighting:  studying God's Word can strengthen our relationships with others too.

Jadon:  "PBE aka Pathfinder Bible Experience has helped me in so many ways. First, it helped me build friendships that I never would’ve had without this experience. Second, it helped me with my walk with God, helping me grow with Him and understand more about God. Lastly, it was huge in learning scripture (literally) In Psalm 119:105 it says that “God’s word is a light to my feet and a light to my path” which tells us how important it is for us to know God’s word. Having PBE gave me that opportunity to be able to find a path where it is dark and find my footing in that unsure place."

Eleni:  "The PBE was a very helpful experience to get to know more people and to get to know God more.  I love how supportive all of my teammates were. It was a time that I was surrounded by others who also wanted to learn more about God. It motivated me to work harder."

Did you hear the importance of the community dynamic for these kids? Sure, maybe this has a lot to do with just getting to practice together, compete together, travel together, etc.  But the reality is that the hours and hours they spent together was time focused on God's Word...together (had to get that word in one last time).  The point?  Studying the Word doesn't have to be a solitary experience.  

Like these kids, we can find that Bible study is particularly powerful when it's a shared experience with others.

Like iron sharpening iron (Prov. 27:17), we'll find our own spiritual fervor strengthened by the passion of others.  And as we find ourselves drawing closer to God, we'll be drawing us closer to others who are doing the same.

Praise the Lord for our young people and the ways they're growing in their walks with God and each other!  May our own pursuit of God's Word stir in us treasure-finding joy, closeness with a personal God, and tight bonds of spiritual community.