One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the ability to choose. Not just between what’s fun and what’s boring, but between right and wrong. Between truth and lies. Between comfort and courage. The Bible calls it free will, and it runs through every page. From Adam in the garden to Jesus in the wilderness.
At camp, we see this play out every day. A camper decides whether to keep paddling when he’s tired. Whether to serve someone else at the table instead of grabbing the biggest piece of garlic bread. Whether to sit and sulk, or get up and lead. Those are small choices, but they’re not insignificant. They’re training for life.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, God lays it out plainly:
I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.
Liberty isn’t the right to do whatever you want. It’s the responsibility to do what’s right. It’s not about being your own god. It’s about having the ability to follow the God even when it costs you something.
And that’s the difference we try to make clear at Northern Frontier. The world teaches freedom as escape from rules. Jesus teaches freedom as surrender to truth.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Our staff doesn’t force you to do pushups or sing loudly at the campfire. But they do invite you by how they live, how they lead, how they struggle alongside you, how they challenge you to choose something more. To choose growth. To choose a character. To choose Christ.
Camp doesn’t take away your liberty. It sharpens it. Out here, distractions fade, and choices become clearer. You start to see who you are when no one’s telling you what to do. And you start to see who you could become if you followed Jesus with your whole heart.
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey… whether of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
You are always choosing something and always following someone. The question is, “Who?” and, “Where is that path taking you?”
So we’ll continue to challenge you here. We’ll ask you to serve first, to hike further, to sit still and listen, to speak up when it’s hard. Not because we’re trying to make you perform, but because we believe God is forming you.
You’re not a robot. You’re not a victim. You are a young man created in the image of God, entrusted with choices that echo into eternity. And today, right here at camp, you get to decide, will you follow Him?
