Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1994

Back To School
Harry Frielink

As the school doors to universities and colleges open wide this year, so will the lives of countless young Christians. For many of us, this first month of freedom from home and church cements our future life direction. All of a sudden its our life, not our parent's, that we are living. We find ourselves at the threshold of a whole new world. FROSH WEEK! FAITH! SEX! ALONE. DRINKING! UNCERTAINTY? GIVE IN. CONFORM? STAND OUT! STAND FIRM? More than ever, during this time of our live's we need the brilliant light of God's Word to light our path. We need the challenge of combining our time at school with our faith.

An awareness of God calling us to study where we are is essential. Like all God's great servants, we must personally know our God and His will for us. Daniel knew that God called him to learn and serve in worldly Babylon. He didn't pretend it was otherwise, or deny his faith. We need the conviction that our God, the living God, is with us. It is then that we will have the courage to make wise decisions when it comes to living in the middle of the world's party; its sin and emptiness. Then we will see God working faithfully in our lives. As in Babylon, so too in our schools, others will come to see the true God through our lives. Now is the time to live with God; to know Him as our Rock and Refuge, an ever present help in times of trouble.

Being aware of God's call to live out our faith in the student lifestyle is only the beginning. We need to follow through and bring our faith to class. If we don't see what being a Christian hag to do with our training now, will we ever see what our jobs have to do with God's Kingdom? The challenge here is that we "might take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). Our faith must not only effect our life-style as a student it must get to the very core of what we are studying. "Taking every thought captive" means giving our whole lives as worship unto our Lord. That is the full worship we are called to. John Calvin has said that "learning without godliness is of little profit." He was convinced that all learning and all work should be for the glory of God. We must make the effort to relate what we are studying to -our faith. What is the Christian perspective on the vocation you are pursuing? How are you serving God and contributing to His Kingdom in your field of study? If we fail to consider this, how can we expect God's blessing on our time at school? Each Christian has a general calling to live a holy life and a particular calling to a specific vocation. We must pursue these two together; to neglect one is to neglect serving God with our whole lives.

"Taking every thought captive" means using our time as students to grow. Realize that your education is your growth. It's a process in finding purpose and meaning in life. At the core of education is belief and faith. Now is the time to pursue questions of where you belong, and where you are going in life; to figure out what is worth living for. Never again will you be free to read and think in the same way as a student. We need to look at this time in our lives as a gift which belongs to God. A friend of mine at university just cannot get used to the idea that he is not his own, but that he belongs to God. As Christian students belonging to God should give us not only purpose at school, but unfailing strength. Life is too important to live without referring to He who created life. So, also is school and your vocation. Use this time to develop a faith upon which you can base your life. Continually learn and abide with God.

Our faith and schooling must go together. While Calvin attacked learning without faith, he completes his statement saying, "godliness without learning will be subject to error." If we don't want a wasted life based on error, we would do well to pursue godliness and learning together. Being thankful for the money, jobs, and sacrifices that brought us to school, is the attitude we must begin with. May we use God's gifts for His glory and stand strong in the faith at school.

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