God will fulfill his excellent plan for your life. Job said to God, “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2, ESV). Think of His plan for your life as a river. A river has a continual source that keeps it moving forward. If something gets in the way, the river just winds around or over or under it. God’s excellent plan for your life is unstoppable.
God has a good plan, and He compels us by love to choose His plan and His path. Josh McDowell says when we Consider the Choice, Compare it to God, and Commit to His Way, then we can Count on His protection and provision. When we do this, we go from making good decisions to great decisions to excellent decisions. So that He can fulfill His excellent plan for our lives, He prompts us to make excellent choices. If our choices are the building blocks of our lives, then making excellent choices will cause us to live lives of excellence.
Listen to how Oswald Chambers puts it, “If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God. As soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny.” (My Utmost for His Highest, November 2nd). Frustrated with where you are in life? Disappointed? Anxious? Then remember that God has an excellent plan for your life, and that, without a doubt, He will fulfill his plan for you. Keep in mind it was Paul, a man with a past and the chief of sinners, who said, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6, ESV). And keep in mind that God has the final say on everything, good and bad in our lives: “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV).
God has an excellent plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Today, remind yourself that God has an excellent plan for your life. Take a moment to say it out loud, “God has an excellent plan for my life.” There’s something about speaking truth orally that aligns our thoughts with His perspective. God loves you enough to “declare” his good plans for your life. Plans for wholeness and good. Plans of hope. He wants what is best for us, and He’s willing to do what it takes to help us fulfill His purpose.
So regardless of what you are facing, always keep in mind that God has an excellent plan for you. Confused about your major? Not sure where God wants you to work? Not sure where He wants you to go to college? (Or if He wants you to go to college?) Feeling overwhelmed with guilt? Feeling a sense of hopelessness? Then remind yourself that God has an excellent plan for your life. He wants you to enjoy your relationship with Him. He wants to motivate and inspire you. He wants to use you to help others. He wants to guide you in the details of your life. So today be like the psalmist and “…cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)
Lee Strobel was an ordinary college student. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri before going on to Yale Law School and then The Chicago Tribune, where he was an award-winning professional journalist for fourteen years. It was during this time in his life that his wife became friends with a Christian woman and came to know Christ. Lee was an instant skeptic and set out on a two-year mission to prove her wrong. He systemically investigated the claims of Christianity, conducting interviews with the country’s top scholars, posing tough questions to challenge the historical evidence of Christ, and scouring the research on archeology, ancient history, and world religions. What he found surprised even him. Faith and evidence weren’t mutually exclusive.
Now, recognized as one of the top Christian apologists, Lee has written a number of best-selling books, including the well-known The Case for Christ, which retraces his journey to faith, its follow-up book The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. Read what he had to say in an interview with Focus on the Family:
You came to Christ by studying the evidence with an open mind. But what led you to embrace atheism prior to that?
I had learned Darwinism, which explained away the need for a creator, and I took a course from a skeptic on the New Testament. To be honest, in most cases like mine where there are intellectual barriers there are moral issues below that—a desire not to be held accountable for our lifestyle. In the ’60s the sexual revolution was in full swing. It was a wild time. The country was in turmoil in terms of its values, with things being in transition and everyone questioning authority. Individual freedom was the highest value. All of that was a backdrop to my search for reasons not to believe. What I needed most was an adult willing to spend time with me, listen to me and walk me down a path towards spiritual discovery. James 5:20 says, “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” If I’d had someone back then reach out to me, I think I would have responded.
Today we live in a nonlinear, point-and-click, mix-and-match media world. Do you see young people applying that same buffet-style mentality to their spirituality?
That’s syncretism, and it’s growing exponentially. You have people like Oprah Winfrey who feed it by endorsing all kinds of spiritual systems that are in conflict with each other, but she doesn’t quite see that in her own mind. And we are seeing kids who paste things together, picking and choosing which aspects of Jesus they like and which they don’t. It creates all kinds of pictures of Him that are in conflict with who Jesus revealed Himself to be. Relativism feeds that. People not anchored to any one particular truth feel much more free to pick and choose what they want to believe. It’s as if they’re in a grocery store and only put into the basket things they want. They walk away with a belief system that may bear no resemblance to reality, but it fits their own personal preferences and tastes.
How do you see entertainment contributing to the confusion?
Pop culture—fed by the Internet, best-selling books, TV documentaries and so forth—has been injecting extreme skepticism into the culture at large in the last few years. There’s a proliferation of theories about Jesus which conflict with what the Bible teaches. They’re defended with great ferocity, yet lack any historical basis. We’re at a time in our culture, and I think the door was opened largely by The Da Vinci Code, when publishers realize they can make money attacking Christianity. We’re being influenced by a new breed of militant atheism.
Spiritually, what are teens encountering when they step onto a college campus these days?
There are three times as many atheists and agnostics among college professors as in the population at large. There’s a lot of skepticism and what Christian students feel are attacks on their faith. A lot of these college kids go away to school and call Mom and Dad to say, “I’ve decided I don’t believe this stuff anymore.”
Which is why we need to equip them now. And yet following Jesus involves more than just head knowledge.
That’s right. It’s a willingness to submit to God’s authority and leadership in our lives at a profound level. Part of being born again is seeing our values, philosophy, worldview, attitudes, relationships and priorities change over time. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received Him, to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Believe plus receive equals become. Becoming a Christian isn’t just being in general agreement with some Christian doctrine. It’s receiving forgiveness, Christ’s leadership of our lives and the Holy Spirit as our guide and transforming agent. That’s where the real adventure is.
Still not convinced or know someone else who isn’t? Check out Lee Strobel’s website (leestrobel.com) for more information about Lee’s books and for free video clips from leading experts on Christianity about defining and defending the Christian faith. Do your own research and seek out the truth for yourself.
In a recent report from Georgetown University called “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018,” researchers looked at the effect of the current economic recession on education and the job market. They concluded that some form of postsecondary education (this includes college, on-the-job training, military training, apprenticeships, formal employer-provided education programs, and a variety of other programs) is your best umbrella in an economic storm. Read what they had to say:
”Postsecondary education carries with it one more important advantage in today’s economy: protection. Workers with college degrees had the lowest unemployment rates over the past three years, thus receiving the best possible shelter from the Great Recession of 2007. They also have the best prospects for getting hired in the recovery.”
A college education, of course, doesn’t make you immune from the impact of a depressed economy (ultimately when it rains long enough and hard enough, everyone gets a little wet), but it does put you ahead in the recovery. We’ll likely face a number of economic recessions in our lifetime, but look at the stats in support of furthering your education:
> Since 1983, earnings of high school dropouts have fallen by 2%.
> Earnings of high school graduates have increased by 13%.
> Earnings of people with some college or an Associate’s degree have increased by 15%.
> Earnings of people with Bachelor’s degrees have increased by 34%.
> Earnings of people with graduate degrees have increased by 55%.
> The range in lifetime earnings by educational attainment is greatest between high school dropouts and professional degrees – a range of $1,198,000 to $4,650,000, or a difference of $3,452,000.
These researchers predict that there will be a need for increased postsecondary education and training to fill 21st-century jobs (because of technological advancements, etc.) and that we will under-produce postsecondary graduates by approximately 3 million by 2018.
It can be easy to get worked up about choosing the right career, getting a good job, and preparing for the future. But we should always remember that God is our ultimate provider, and He fights for us. We already are recession-proof. The world is ripe and ready for us to be out there, shining our light in the career field. Ask God to show you the path he has for you. All good things are from Him, and He will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19). Then work hard at whatever opportunities He gives you. Don’t listen to the advice of the world, but pursue the plans He’s given you. If postsecondary education is for you, He’ll help you make it happen.
Carnevale, Anthony P., Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl. “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018.” Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. June 2010.
Last week, one of the most watched videos on youtube was a Hyundai commercial for the World Cup featuring Nick Vujicic. Ever heard of him? We read about Nick some time ago and were inspired by his incredible attitude and the obstacles he’s overcome to share the hope of Jesus Christ around the world. With no medical explanation or warning, Nick was born without arms or legs. Throughout his childhood, not only did Nick deal with the typical challenges of school and adolescence, but also depression and loneliness. He couldn’t understand why he was so different than the other kids. Did God even have a purpose for his life?
At age 19, Nick began sharing his testimony about how God had changed his life and given him a future and a hope. He encouraged others to see there is a purpose in each of our struggles and that our attitude toward those challenges along with our faith and trust in the Lord can be the keys to overcoming the challenges we face. Now at 27, Nick is the president of the international non-profit Life Without Limbs and also has his own motivational speaking company Attitude Is Altitude. He travels around the world sharing his story and the hope of Christ with millions of people: “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!” What great motivation! How can you use the setbacks in your life to reach others?
”Failure is not important. How you overcome it is.”
If you’re gearing up this summer to start your first semester of college in the fall or even if you’re already a few semesters in and getting ready to transfer to a university, you’ll likely be signing up for new student orientation. This is your day or two to get acquainted with your new school, take care of some logistics, and register for classes. There’s a lot to do, but your school’s staff will be ready to walk you through it. Whether you’re excited, nervous, scared, or all three, it never hurts to prepare; here are a few tips for making the most of your orientation:
* Pray! Before you even get started, ask God to give you wisdom and guidance to make your best decisions on campus. He will open up the right doors for your classes, your professors, your friends, your job, your free time, etc. if you just ask. You don’t have to be nervous or fearful; you have supernatural peace and discernment! “The path of the righteous is like the dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (Proverbs 4:18).
* Prepare your ideas and questions. Spend some time the week before your orientation thinking of and writing down any questions you have (“Where can I go for tutoring?” ”What if I get sick?” “How can I study abroad?”). Most likely, the orientation staff will answer all your questions during their sessions, but just in case, you’ll have yours ready. Also, look through your college’s course catalogue online (or on paper if they mailed it to you), and make a list of some classes you’re interested in taking. Your advisor will help you decide what meets the requirements and fits your degree plan, but he/she can’t read your mind. Come ready with your ideas and questions.
* Meet new people. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to the other newbies in your orientation session. They might seem like they have it all together, but really they’re just as nervous as you are. Look into any student organizations or campus groups that sound interesting and try them out. The best way to get connected on campus is to get involved. This can range from service organizations to campus bible studies to student government. Talk to any orientation leaders who are upperclassmen and get their input. Also, remember to be friendly and gracious to the professors and support staff you meet on campus. They work hard to make sure your experience is a good one. Don’t forget people are watching to see how you live.
* Visit a dorm room. Sometimes orientation includes a night’s stay in the dorm or sometimes just a campus tour. If you’re living on campus though, make sure you get to see a dorm room in your building so you’ll know what kind of measurements, furniture, bathroom amenities, etc. to expect. If you’re not living on campus, take some mental notes about how and where you plan to study during the semester (a desk in your room, the library, etc.). Sometimes it helps to get somewhere away from all distractions to help you focus.
* Check out the town. If you’re moving to a new area to go to school, spend some time driving around and get to know the restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and shopping centers close to campus. If you’re moving to a big city, make sure you have a GPS or a map!
* Involve your parents. Most orientations want you to bring your parents or guardians with you and even have special information sessions for them. Now that you’re in college, it’s ultimately your decision about what classes you want to take and what you want to be involved in, but remember to go easy on your parents. They’re having to make adjustments too. Keep them in the loop, and listen to their advice and wisdom. God’s given them to you for a reason!
With summer pretty much in full-swing, you’re probably either enjoying some free time by the pool or trying to catch up or get ahead in the classroom. Regardless, summer is a great time to do some ”unassigned” reading and spend some time thinking and reflecting. I’ve just started reading a new book by Craig Groeschel, founding pastor of Life Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, called The Christian Atheist (Zondervan, 2010). A seeming oxymoron, I was intrigued when Craig began explaining how he was a Christian Atheist, someone who “believed” in God but spent his life living like God didn’t exist. Sound familiar? As Craig puts it, “You might think it’s odd for a pastor to struggle with living like there is no God. However, in my corner of the world, Christian Atheism is a fast-spreading spiritual pandemic which can poison, sicken, and even kill eternally. Yet Christian Atheism is extremely difficult to recognize--especially by those who are infected.”
Whether you live in the Bible Belt like me or not, you’ve likely noticed the all-too-common occurrence of the friend/coworker/family member/etc. who calls himself or herself a Christian, maybe even goes to bible studies or on mission trips, and then turns around and lives exactly like the rest of the world. Like nothing matters. Like right and wrong are up for grabs. With so many Christians in the world, where is our salt and light? It seems many have long lost their saltiness, or perhaps never had it. What about you? Do your words and your actions match up out on the field of life? Or do you talk a big game on the sidelines and then play like everyone else when it counts? Sometimes it’s such a subtle sell-out that we hardly even notice. Take some time this summer to check out The Christian Atheist and read about Craig’s journey from a college student to a pastor and the hard truth he had to come to terms with. Maybe you can relate.
I’ve talked a lot about why following Daniel’s lead is the best approach to college. Here are 2 more reasons to live like Daniel:
1. When you keep your heart pure, you can discern God’s will for your life.
2. Because God calls us to holiness.
Reason 1
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” When you choose not to conform, you choose to gain the ability to listen to God in the details of your life. You make a covenant to do life with Him. What happened when you gave your life to Christ? You made a covenant with God. What’s your role in the commitment? You pursue him with all that you are. His response to this? Josh McDowell says that if you will “Consider the Choice,” “Compare it to God,” and ”Commit to His Way,” then you can “Count on His protection and provision.” Listen to how Oswald Chambers puts it: “If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God. As soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny.” (My Utmost For His Highest, November 2nd).
If you resolve to protect your heart during college, then you will be able to discern God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will for your life. You will be able to discern his voice as you select a major. You will be able to discern His hand as he opens and closes opportunities for you. When your series of questions come, your heart will be ready to answer. When opportunities present themselves, you’ll know what to do. Because all of the issues of life flow out of the heart, Daniel chose to “guard his heart above all else.” He made a conscious decision to care more about his inner person than how people saw him. He set himself apart from the darkness so that he could follow God’s lead in the details of his life.
Reason 2
God calls us to personal holiness for His purpose and for our own good. The wisest and richest man to walk the earth had this advice: “Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see…” Solomon gives us permission to have a great time and to live with a sense of wonder. But, he continues “…know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Just because you’re young and enjoying college doesn’t mean that everything you do will be beneficial to you or to others. Reason number 2 we should take Daniel’s lead? Because God calls us to live with a higher purpose—a purpose that can only be lived in the righteousness that he provides through Jesus. Solomon reminds us to fear God because He alone is our Judge. When we fear God, we pursue holiness instead of sin. This fear, which keeps us from darkness, is the beginning of wisdom in our lives. And fearing, honoring, and respecting God is the path toward taking our mind and our actions to their highest possible level.
Senior year of college I was sitting in a debate. The topic? The legalization of prostitution. I was sitting on the far side of the room, near the back row. The room wrapped around, so it gave me the perfect view for watching everyone and their reaction to the debate. As I panned the audience, I recognized a familiar face. Someone I had known since junior high. Finally, a kindred perspective amid all the silly talk. As I watched him, he laughed at the wrong times. He said, “I agree,” at the wrong stuff. At the end of the debate, we were given this option: “Based on the arguments made, if you agree that prostitution should be legalized, exit through this door on the right. If you disagree, exit through the door on the left.” The speaker finished with, “Which door will you choose?” As I exited through the door on the left, I watched as my friend exited through the door on the right. He had swapped logic, good sense, and his values for the sake of being connected to the “in” crowd on campus. He chose the wrong door.
You have a series of questions before you. You have profound, life-changing opportunities in front of you. What decisions will you make? Which door will you take? When dealing with all of your future opportunity and the questions you’ll face, there is a starting point. As a Christian, there’s one answer that will change everything. Your answer to this next question will place every other question in context. If you choose correctly, then you will know what your response should be to your opportunities in college.
As a Christian, “What is the single most important decision you can make before you start college?” What was the first decision that Daniel made? The choice that he made at the start of his program? “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself…” Stop there. Daniel in a new, strange land. No parentals around. New educational setting. New teachers. New friends. And what was his first decision? The decision that preceded all of his choices? He simply determined that he would not defile himself. He wasn’t going to give the king or the culture any room in his heart. Why not be like Daniel and pursue righteousness? What was the result for Daniel? He sought God and His righteousness first, and God took care of the consequences. He pursued God, and everything else was added to his life. Daniel chose the right door. Which will you choose?
In a recent article called “What is ‘Career Ready’?,” the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) addressed the fact that “career ready” and “college ready” are often used interchangeably, while in reality, being academically prepared for college success does not necessarily equate with bring prepared for a career. So what does all this mean for you? Take a look at what the ACTE says are three major skill areas for career readiness:
Core Academic Skills - this is the foundational academic knowledge, particularly in math and English language arts, as well as the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities. For example, employers often cite deficiencies in English and written communications–such as memos, letters, and complex technical reports–as students are often less equipped academically to analyze and use these informational written materials, skills not as emphasized in the classroom. In addition, workplace deficiencies in math are also common, such as data analysis, reasoning, and solving mathematical problems. Being able to apply academic knowledge to authentic career situations takes practice and intentional instruction (e.g., nursing students calculating and applying ratios, proportions, rates, and percentages to determine dosages; construction students applying geometrical principles to design and implement building plans), a great advantage for those students with internships or part-time jobs in their chosen career field.
Employability Skills - these include those skills most critical to workplace success in the 21st-century economy; things like critical thinking, adaptability, problem solving, oral and written communications, collaboration and teamwork, creativity, responsibility, professionalism, ethics, and technology use. Students must be provided opportunities to gain these kinds of skills in both the classroom and in the workplace and to learn to apply them to real-world life and work situations. Look for ways in your everyday life to name and work on these skills.
Technical Job-Specific Skills - these skills are usually related to a specific career pathway. Although many career opportunities include a strong element of on-the-job training, some of these technical or industry-based skills must be acquired in advance (such as technical skills required for licensure in professions such as most health care fields or for broader industry certifications such as the Certified Welder credential. You can check on the States Career Clusters Initiative at www.careerclusters.org for a broader idea of what students need to know and be able to do to be successful in a specific career area.
Whether you’re just starting college or vocational school or just getting ready to dive into the workplace, take some time to evaluate your skills. This will come in handy, particularly on resumes and in interviews, when communicating to others what you can bring to the table. Remember too, while you’re in college or on the job, look for every opportunity to increase your skill set. Volunteer to be trained in your office’s new computer software or sit in on a human resources class about ethics or collaboration. This is the initiative that will set you apart from others, and your hard work and dedication will bring glory to God in whatever you do.
”Whatever you do, work as it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”
(Colossians 3:23)
God will fulfill his excellent plan for your life. Job said to God, “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2, ESV). Think of His plan for your life as a river. A river has a continual source that keeps it moving forward. If something gets in the way, the river just winds around or over or under it. God’s excellent plan for your life is unstoppable. 
