Well, I along with many other students are gearing up for another year of school, or have already started it. Many K-12th schools have been underway for a few weeks now, while most colleges and universities have just recently started, or are about to start. I attend Pensacola Theological Seminary and am beginning my last year of classes. This will be my seventh year of “higher education” and I am looking forward to being done studying for awhile (although the idea of a doctoral degree still lingers in the back of my mind). On the thought of school, two verses came to mind that should encourage every Christian student, as well as Christians in general.
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Often times I hear of students who quit their studies only part way through the year. When things get overwhelming we must remember that if we have been seeking God’s will and he has lead us to where we are, then that is where he intended us to be! “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” Do not look for a reason to quit when everything seems tough, but rather look to the reason that you headed to where you are now. If you were following God and he lead you to where you are, do not think that he will lead you away, but rather that he will lead you through what he has for you.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. We often know that we cannot quit what we have started, yet we cannot see how we are going to make it through either. We must remember that as Christians we do not have to rely on our own strength to make it. I say “we do not HAVE to” because it is a choice that every person must make. You can choose to try and make it on your own strength, and you may or may not make it, if you do it is only by the grace of God. Rather than try to make it on your own strength and not be sure what will happen until it is over, you can chose to allow God’s strength to be what caries you through. If you are leaning on Him, there may be times that seem hard, but you need not worry, because you are leaning on the everlasting arms!
I hope this encourages some students, as well as other Christians. Remember that if you are following God He will direct you to where he wants you, and that whatever He has for you can be completed through His strength
~ Nate