Remember to Study

One of the best things you can do to keep your faith while in college is to rely on the Bible. Naturally, this is one of the best resources you can have. Whether you use a systematic method of studying it, or choose instead to refer to the sections that relate to your specific circumstances at the time, leaning on the words of the Bible for support and guidance can help you through even the most difficult and confusing times.

In addition to the Bible, refer to other Christian literature to help you stay in touch with your faith. Don’t just stick to literature that reflects your particular beliefs, however. College is a time of intellectual growth. What better time to explore the beliefs of other religions or other denominations of your own faith? This can give you some varied viewpoints and help you better understand your own beliefs and value system. Just remember, there is nothing wrong with knowledge. The more you know about other belief systems and religions, the more successful you will be throughout your life when dealing with diverse people.

Lean on Others

It will be much easier for you to keep your faith if you build a strong support system. The first step in this is to find a good church in your college community. Visit several local churches to find the one that best fits your needs and beliefs and attend regularly for spiritual renewal and refreshment.

You can further your spiritual support network by finding and meeting regularly with spiritual advisors. Whether it be a local minister, a college chaplain, a professor, or the leader of a student religious group, it is vital that you have a spiritual advisor you can turn to when the going gets rough, or when temptation starts to take hold.

A final key in your support network is that of a campus Christian group. There are typically many such organizations on any campus. By joining such an organization, you will have the opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals, participate in faith-based activities, and develop a sense of belonging and family that can help you through your college years in a supportive manner. If there is no group that meets your needs on campus, considering starting one yourself. Not only will it support you spiritually, it will also provide you with valuable organizational and leadership skills. All you have to do to keep your faith in college is to look for sources of enrichment and watch your faith strengthen and grow.

About the Author

Jerry A. is a writer for BecomeaPoliceOfficer.com. This site can  help you learn the ins and outs of becoming police officer, take a look at this site today! 

16.7 million American children – nearly one in four – live in households that do not have access to enough nutritious food to lead healthy, active lives.  It’s going to take lots of us to solve childhood hunger. We need to create an army of supporters who are committed to stamping out hunger once and for all. By adding your name to the No Kid Hungry Pledge, you can join a movement of people united to put an end to childhood hunger.  (EndHunger.com)

Jeff Bridges founded the End Hunger Network in 1984.  They are currently participating with Share Our Strength in its No Kid Hungry national campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015.

Please go to http://www.endhunger.com/network.html and find out what you can do to help end childhood hunger.

I took the pledge, will you?  http://nokidhungry.org/

Related articles

• Jeff Bridges: Hungry for Change (children.webmd.com)

Legend of the Forest

One day, as God was listening
To prayers that came to Him,
He heard a whispered longing
From a forest’s mighty limb.
“O Lord”, it prayed, “let me be formed
Into a palace fit
For the most noble king on earth.”
And God said, “So be it.”

Another tree then dared to ask
To be a ship well known
By men who sail on all the seas
And live in every zone.
The Father kindly looked on it
And touched it with His hand,
“You shall have your request in full
But you may not understand.”

A third tree shyly prayed, “Dear God,”
(And its leaves were aglow
With its earnestness to serve its Lord)
“Please let me always grow
“With branches pointing heavenward
To lead men’s thoughts to Thee.”
And God looked down on it with love
And breathed, “This, too, shall be.”

The woodmen came and felled each tree
And dragged them out one mom.
The first became a cattle shed
Where the King of kings was born.
They fashioned one to be a boat
To sail on Galilee.
From this the Master calmed the storm
And leveled the rolling sea.

The tiny skiff has travelled far
On sea, to every land,
As men in faith have calmed their fears
With His “Peace, be still!” command.
The third tree sadly hung its head,
“They are making a cross of me!”
But ever since, it has pointed men
To the Christ of Calvary.

I wrote this years ago and have posted it before but I wanted to post it again and dedicate it to my daughter Stacie who suffers with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  She is a living, breathing example of the Grace of God.  I pray this devotional will bless and comfort her and anyone else who lives with chronic pain.

A MATTER OF GRACE

I stood barefoot on the fiery bed of coals.  I peered downward, waving the smoke away from my sizzling feet and saw huge, red, oozing blisters.  I trudged on.  Just as I was about to step into a meadow of cool, dewy, green grass I woke up.

With clenched, aching jaws, drenched in sweat and tears, I sat up in the bed.  How I wished I could have stayed in the dream long enough to feel the cooling moisture of the meadow.  There would be no more sleep that night and I wondered if I would live with the agony for the rest of my life.

Coping with Diabetes had always been a challenge, but this was far beyond anything I could have ever prepared for.  I was on a low sugar, low fat diet and exercised every day.  I had succeeded in controlling the blood sugar levels without medication but nothing relieved the fierce, burning pain caused by the dying nerves in my feet.  That damage had already been done.

There is a drug that has been found to have therapeutic value in the treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.  It is primarily for seizures and can have severe side effects.  I did not want to shackle myself to a drug that could deaden my emotions, cause fatigue and apathy.  The mere thought of it broke my heart.

I called on my Pastor who also lives with chronic pain and dislikes taking medication.  We discussed the pros and cons of my taking the pills.  Together, we called upon God for His guidance in making the decision.  As Pastor Mason prayed for me, I was overcome with the presence and power of God.  His Holy Spirit filled me and I knew I was to continue to put my trust in Him.  He would give me grace for each day if I would walk in faith.

Later that morning I sat down to read my Bible.   I was led to Luke 22: 44. “And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.” (BBE)   I was reminded of the anguish my Lord experienced at Calvary.  It was confirmation for me.  I am a Child of God and He is able.  When I reach Heaven, there will be no more pain.  Until then, I will rest in the palm of His hand.

Note:  I believe, and I praise God that He sometimes uses modern medicine to heal us and to ease our pain.  He has led me to a medication for neuropathy and am not experiencing any severe side effects.