Posts by Trevor:
Nucleus
August 26th, 2010
Ask yourself this question: What will hold my semester together?
Sure you may start off with balance in mind, but will it last? Will your first things remain first? Will you keep your priorities in order?
On Monday, I played a game with a group of freshmen. We stood in a circle so that we could toss a tennis ball back and forth to learn each others’ names. The idea was that each person would catch the ball once and then throw it to another person. The goal was to learn the name of the person you threw it to. After completing the first round, we decided to go again (throwing it to the same person as before). After we finished, we did it again but this time even faster. By now, we had learned the other person’s name fairly well. For the sake of efficiency, we decided to go one last time. So I started us off by tossing the tennis ball to my new friend, but before he could throw it to the new person he had met, I threw another ball. And then another ball. And another. And another. Before you knew, it we had 14 different balls, of all sizes, chaotically flying threw the room.
The principle we learned? Life has the tendency to go from order to disorder (basic principle of physics). The lessons learned? You’ve got to have a plan. You’ve got to stay focused. You’ve got to be a team player. You’ve got to communicate well. You’ve got to know your chief priority. You’ve got to have a nucleus.
As you start this semester, what will keep you focused when the complexity rises? What will help you live above your circumstances and stress? What will hold your relationships together? In the Old Testament, when Daniel started his new program, he was determined not to defile himself. His integrity was the nucleus that held his life together. Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” If you will choose to walk by the Spirit and in the integrity of Scripture this semester, watch as God guides you on the path He has chosen for your life. A path of simple trust and intense determination to live out your potential.
God Will Fulfill His Plan
July 20th, 2010
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
July 15th, 2010
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)
2 Reasons
June 1st, 2010
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.
Doors
May 25th, 2010
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?
College Questions
May 18th, 2010
College will present you with a series of questions. Questions that will require an honest response.
What’s my unique mission?
Is evolution the solution?
Why does an all-powerful God allow evil?
What should I major in?
What courses should I take next semester?
Should I join a sorority?
Should I try that?
No matter the question, we should do our part to prepare our hearts and minds. You will be presented with lots of opportunities during college. Lots of things and ideas to try out. If you don’t know what you believe before you go, you run the risk of getting swept up in empty behavior and empty philosophy. It’s not rocket science. It’s simple. Know what your response is going to be before you go. Prepare your response beforehand. Scripture tells us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone. Do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). When one of classmates asked me about God, my heart and mind were ready. I wasn’t distracted by sin in my own life. I was focused and ready to be used.
Know that college is the “real world” with real consequences. I can’t stand it when people say, “Well, when you’re in the real world you’ll understand.” The moment you take your first breath, you’re in the real world. This planet is much too hostile to let your guard down by pretending some experiences are not real. I assure you that high school and the decisions you made were quite real. And the world that you’re going to step into is quite real. Real consequences. Real truth. Real forgiveness. Real causes. Real effects.
So what about you? Have you anticipated some of the opportunities you’ll face during college? Some of the questions you’ll be asked? Have you let God search your heart to see what’s there? Maybe there’s something hidden? Some response you don’t know you’ll have? Do your best to prepare your heart and mind, and God will guide your response. Now is the best time to prepare for the questions you’ll be asked during college.
College Roots
May 13th, 2010
College is a family experience because life is a family experience. The childhood relationship that you have had with your parents was designed for you to grow out of, but only because it was meant to grow into much more—into a new type of relationship in which honor is bestowed upon your parents as you walk in truth as an adult son or daughter. Life after high school is a tremendous opportunity to both grow as an individual and as a family. What did the Apostle Paul teach us about true growth and maturity? He says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish things.” But how does he finish this section in 1 Corinthians? “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Families: The true test of your growth after high school will be your love for God and for each other. Student, will your life during college be marked by growth in love for God, your family, and others? This summer is the perfect time to evaluate your definition of growth, and, as you do, make sure it includes Paul’s understanding of the supreme mark of maturity.
College is a Family Experience
May 4th, 2010
Every week I meet with the Fellowship of Christian Faculty to study Scripture and pray. Two weeks ago, the director of an International Student Ministry shared with us about his daughter who is graduating from college this year. Lately, she’s been sharing with her parents about the desire God has placed within her to work with children and students who have been abused, neglected, and forgotten. As a family, they’ve been praying about her next step after graduation. To prepare for the transition, she’s been researching her options, and she found a nonprofit that worked specifically with abused children. She took her research a step further and contacted them, finding out they had an opening. But just one problem–they wouldn’t have the opening until next September or October. That’s a 5-6 month gap. She called her parents and asked them to pray about the opportunity. Not long after that, she received a phone call from a friend offering her a yearlong internship, starting this summer, with a large and growing college ministry. What a great opportunity! Thrilled, she called her parents.
But she didn’t get the response she had expected. They explained that although it was a great opportunity, it didn’t seem to line up with her desire to work with neglected children and students. Not the response she had hoped. It was an open door. The timing was right. It was a helping profession. But was it for her? Her parents could have pushed the matter, but they didn’t. They left it up to her. She considered their advice but knew the decision was up to her. The next day, she called her friend to tell her that she would not be accepting the position. She called her family crushed and crying. Unsure that she had made the right choice, she worried that she missed out on a great opportunity. Within twenty minutes of hanging up the phone with her parents, she received a phone call. It was the non-profit ministry that she had originally connected with. They now had an immediate opening and wondered if she would be willing to start this summer.
This college student knows that college and life are a family experience. She knows that her decisions are not made in isolation. She knows that her best decisions are made with wisdom—which she gained from working with her godly parents and considering their perspective. Notice that her parents didn’t have to pry out of her what was going on in her life. Instead, they have all worked hard to develop a relationship with effective boundaries and open communication. They are praying for each other, encouraging each other, and using college as an opportunity to grow together. The result? She is pursuing the unique mission that God placed within her. She didn’t miss the plan God had for her life. If you have godly parents, invite them to share their perspective. If you will honor them by sharing your life and experiences with them, God will honor you by protecting you and helping you make your best decisions. No matter where life takes us, remember that it’s a family experience!
Holiness and the Teacher
April 1st, 2010
With Good Friday and Easter Sunday approaching quickly, take some time this week to check out R.C. Sproul’s videos on “The Holiness of God” (part 1 seen above). We have Dr. Sproul’s book Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, which is a great resource for a clear and theologically-sound understanding of the basic Christian doctrines and biblical concepts every Christian should know. Consider picking a copy up for your summer reading.
Dr. Sproul is chancellor of the Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies and the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries. He holds degrees from Westminister College, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and the Free University of Amsterdam and has taught at various colleges and seminaries. He’s also authored more than seventy books, scores of articles, and more than 80 video series on such subjects as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living. You can listen to his teaching as well on his radio program “Renewing Your Mind with Dr. R.C. Sproul.”
You can watch the whole Holiness series on youtube or at Ligonier’s website here: http://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/holiness_of_god/the-importance-of-holiness/
A Higher Effect
March 29th, 2010
In Bible studies, the book of Daniel is well known. As a student, what does his life tell us about college? About the collegiate environment? About our response to college? If Daniel were to talk with you about college, there’s no doubt that you would listen to his testimony. In fact, he’d be more than capable to discuss your best approach to college. Why? Brand new environment. New living arrangement. New challenges. New curriculum. New teachers. New peers. New pressure. And his response to all of this? He did what most students choose not to do: he purposed in his heart not to defile himself. He made a conscious decision to care more about his inner person, his purity before God, than how others viewed him. He set himself apart from the darkness so that he could “be a special utensil for honorable use.” He chose to fill his heart with God. And the effect of his desire? He caused a king and a nation to look higher.
Imagine your life if you made this decision. If you followed Daniel’s lead and redefined your intent for being in college, what would the effect be on your own life and your campus? When Daniel was faced with a new educational environment he “resolved not to defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). He purposed in his heart not to conform to the common culture. To keep his integrity central. To listen to God’s voice in the details of his life. This was the most profound action he could have taken at the start of his semester. It’s the most profound commitment you can take. And it’s the cause of the most influential effect you can have.
My hope is that you would follow Daniel’s lead and be an agent of change on your campus. Be the cause of a spiritual effect. Choose to see that God cares most about the condition of your inner person, your heart, during college. Because it’s your heart that impacts the course of your life and the effect—the legacy—that you leave when you’re in His presence. Why not live in such a way that some day when you look into His eyes of fire you hear him speak, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”