Investing. Here you are, in college, to follow a progression, a course of action to accomplish an objective. You want to be somebody in your field of study. You want people to reward you the rest of your life for you effort; probably with money and recognition.

Sacrifice. You have set aside other ambitions. You could have gone to other schools. You could have become an apprentice. You have embraced a course of study. You are paying someone to teach you some things you don’t know. You are not even sure what you don’t know that they will teach you, or that you even need to know everything they will give you, but each class is part of the course. You have classes to attend and assignments to complete. Unless you meet the requirement, you will never achieve that degree, the recognition of having completed the course, and the lifelong rewards people will give you for knowing what you know.

Why do you think the Christian life is different?

Will you gain without investing?

You cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ without effort, without investing what it costs.  

“And he [Jesus] said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:23-24

Course. Doesn’t God have a course of study, a progression of growth and development, a purpose and rewards? 

He does. While most people focus on the Bible as if were a treasure chest of jewels to be studied, most people don’t realize that the jewels are also part of a mosaic set in framework to tell a story, giving life context and meaning.

God gives personalized instruction. Tutoring, if you will. That means every person’s spiritual growth is unique and personalized.

However, God has established patterns for spiritual growth just as He has for crop growth. You cannot harvest a crop before you plant. Just as a farmer needs to be taught some things, there are things you can learn from other people whom God has prepared before you. There are things you must learn or conquer before other things make sense. There are things we must put on, put off, put on, set, think, die to, and do.  2 Peter 1:1-11, Colossians 3:1-17, Philippians 4:8

Bible Best. What you learn in college may help you for fifty, maybe seventy years. Not likely more.

What you learn from God in His book will help you to invest not only for a lifetime but toward eternity to come. 

But if you don’t want it, you cannot have it. You can have it if you commit to learning.

There is a progression of faith. There are things that you don’t know. There are behaviors you must change. There are habits you must develop. There are ways of thinking that you must adopt. There are things you must let go to adopt something of greater value. There is a reason God has given to the Church people who are pastors and teachers. Here are some samples…

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8

Others. What’s more is that God has some things for all of us to do that involves, and is for the benefit of, other people.  Ephesians 2:10 We have been created for relationship with God and others. God has work for us to do. He has treasure for us to set aside in heaven’s layaway plan. 

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”  2 Timothy 2:2

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:20

Join us? If you commit to learning, we can help you. Learning is best in community. We don’t have all the answers, but we can help you find most.

If you want to start right now, here is an excellent place to start…