What a summer! Now to year 2!

Its been over almost two months since I said I would write about my visit to Israel. Now finally I can get round to doing so.  

Israel was part of one of my most memorable summer breaks ever. Summer holidays can seem quite long and a little dull, if you are honest, when you are at school or studying, especially when, instead of going to a hot exotic country, you are stuck at home. If the summer is pro-active however, then its a completely different story. Your summer break can end up as one of the highlights of the calendar year.
 
Summer 2013 for me has been fantastic but quite different to previous years, not least because of Israel. This year, as the days grew longer and temperature increased, my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has grown even more. Outwardly, I cannot clearly see it as I did during the past year at university, my first year studying and living away from home. Inwardly, though, I have grown stronger as a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
God allows us to face trials and temptations for exactly that reason: to test whether we are true disciples or not. I, having been tempted in various ways and having struggled giving time to meditating on His Word, the Bible, have come to understand more fully and more completely the rich righteousness and grace of God, and the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. What it means to be a disciple, a follower adhering to the new life and freedom he brings of the Lord Jesus Christ, has been the result of this past summer.

Throughout August until now, I have been reading the book of the prophet, Jeremiah. He is a wonderful character of devotion and faith to God, despite immense suffering and isolation for it. Jeremiah has taught me a lot about God's faithfulness and wishes, including the desire to have a people for himself, a relationship with you and me. Vince Cable, the business secretary, has just, the other day, been likened to Jeremiah by the prime minister for prophesying that the coalition will fall apart before the next general election, but Cable noted that Jeremiah turned out right in his prophecies! And indeed Jeremiah was right because he listened and obeyed God, who in turn was faithful to the prophet and protected him.
There are some wonderful glimpses in the book too of the Lord Jesus, as in any Old Testament book: God is compassionate and merciful in that he gives us a way to be right with him and live a new and free life without suffering by repenting, believing, and following His only Son, Jesus. It was incredibly difficult to read in Jeremiah of the destruction of Jerusalem and the people of Judah, having seen how beautiful the city really is, but there is a similar result waiting for those who do not repent of their sins and their rebellion from the one holy and mighty God. 

Anyone can repent and believe as it is such an easy thing to do; yes, it may be a hard life in this world to live, but it is definitely worth it for the hope at the end. For those, who have professed faith in Christ, I do not want to boast that I have grown in faith; rather, through self-examination, I have seen God's hand at work in my life this summer and want it to encourage you that anyone can grow in faith if they listen, hear, and spend time thinking and focussing on the Word of the Lord. You do not have to visit the Holy Land or have a unique spiritual or physical experience. My faith was complemented by my visit to Israel, but also simply by the times I was stuck at home this summer.

Now with the weekend behind us, I have returned to Canterbury and university. I have moved into my new 'first' house and am settling in, gradually! I am planning to help out with the Christian Union's fresher fortnight events and activities, beginning with tonight's international food evening. It looks to be a good year, starting with some fantastic housemates, but a year with a bigger workload compared to my fresher year.
On Saturday and Sunday, however, I was not very sure whether I was eager or anxious to return; there were lots of different questions and concerns racing around my head. Looking ahead now though I can see God will be in this year. If I remain focussed on him (I am definitely anticipating returning to the folk at Emmanuel Church Canterbury and participating in their plans for the year), he will be faithful and just to forgive us and sanctify us, making us righteous in his sight (1 John 1 v 9). Therefore, not only am I eager to share my experiences from Israel and lessons from the Holocaust, but I wish to share how I have come to be, and grown as, a follower of the Lord Jesus. That is the hope and foundation I stood on through trials and temptations this summer, and its the hope and foundation I plan to continuing standing on throughout the year ahead.