There are two kinds of students who go off to college – those who are ready and those who are not. I was in the latter camp. In one quarter alone I managed to lock myself out of a borrowed car, lose my marching band uniform, forget to pay the power bill, fail to sign up for classes at drop and add, lose my girlfriend, and call the wrong number to ask a girl out (she actually agreed but then asked, “But who are you?”).
Leaving home for the first time presents real challenges to the hopelessly disorganized (like myself), but the most significant challenges are spiritual in nature. Believe it or not, your mother is more than just the person who helps you keep up with things and your father is more than just the guy who pays for stuff. They’ve done a lot to teach you and train you and guide you. And for some of you, they’re not going to be there to do that anymore a few short months from now. They’ll still call you and you’ll still see them during breaks, but they won’t be there day in and day out to help direct your spiritual life. You’re going to be on your own, and the choices you make the next few years will be critical. Your college years can either set you back or help propel you into faithful spiritual service as an adult. With that in mind I want to give you a few choice words of advice.
Make a commitment right now in your heart that you’re going to serve the Lord! When Daniel had to leave home it was not by choice. He was taken as a captive away from his home to a foreign land (Babylon). He was moved to a strange culture where people spoke a different language, had unusual customs, worshiped false gods, etc. His faith was put to a severe test. Right off the bat he was told to eat food and drink wine that were not lawful for him to eat and drink. But Daniel refused because he had “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” with that food or wine (Daniel 1:8).
Some of you are going to Florida College which offers a much more spiritual environment than most places, but don’t think that you can let down your guard down there. The Devil is there just like anywhere else. Daniel went to Babylon expecting the worst. He had thought about the fact that he would be in an idolatrous environment which would force him to make tough choices. Don’t think that it’s going to be easy down at FC and that you can relax. The Devil loves it when we do that. Purpose in your heart right now that you are going to serve the Lord!
Choose friends who will help you to keep your commitment to the Lord! Daniel was not alone when he refused to eat the king’s food and drink the king’s wine. His three brave friends had also purposed in their hearts to keep themselves pure and they went with Daniel to speak to the king’s steward (Daniel 1:11-13). When Daniel heard that he was going to be executed with all the other wise men in Babylon, what did he do? “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:17-18)
Don’t think that just because someone has been baptized and that they go to church and go to a “Christian” school and call themselves a Christian that they are the right kind of friend for you. When you go to choosing your friends (and especially your closest friends) choose people who have absolutely sold out on the Lord. Look for those who have truly decided to “take up their cross” and follow Jesus. Remember, “as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17)
Study hard with a view toward using your knowledge in God’s service. Daniel could have resented the fact that his intelligence and abilities were being exploited by an enemy nation. He could have wasted excellent opportunities God had provided for him to educate himself in Babylon. He could have thrown away all the natural potential God had blessed him with. But instead, Daniel and his friends applied themselves to learning and “in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm” (Daniel 1:20). Because of this God used Daniel and his friends in a powerful way.
God has blessed all of you with good minds and with abundant educational opportunities. Don’t look at college as just an obligatory hoop to jump through so you can get a piece of paper which will allow you to go make a lot of money. Look at your education as a gift from God to learn. Look at it as preparation for useful labor in the kingdom. You don’t know what God may present you years from now (and Daniel didn’t know either), but if you apply yourself to learning you can trust that God will bless you with abundant opportunities to use that education in His service.
~ by David Maxson