Why do bad things happen to good people?

I don't know, I've never seen a good person.

Sin the drug

Sin is a curious and deadly poison. It tantalizes and ensnares our senses with intoxicating flavors and aromas. It has a specific flavor for every person ever born, a flavor they have no hope of resisting. As soon as they enter the world the serpent sinks his fangs into their vulnerable flesh. This is his right ever since Eve took of the fruit and Adam fell. The more we have the more we want. Like a dog returning to its vomit we keep coming back for more. People talk about drugs and how addicting they become but all forms of sin are so addicting that no one has ever “kicked the habit,” so to speak Predicating when its deadly effects will take their final toll is impossible to determine and when they do it is to late. Or is it? There is one cure for the drug of sin, Jesus. He cures our addiction and wipes our past clean. He is the magical antidote for the most powerfully venom on earth. His blood is free of this deadly disease as part of his loving Father’s perfect plan he used it to make us clean.
We have been charged to help people find this cure. Just like the medic who give a snake-bite victim the antidote we are to give people the gospel. But just like that medic we did not make the cure and we deserve no credit for the wondrous effect. We are simply bearers of a mighty gift. Are you showing people how to escape from the ultimate drug?

Where are the answers?

Why are there no answers? Looking back at my first year of college and the summer I have realized I had a lot of questions. Most of which I haven’t and probably never will receive an answer to. Many of which deal with religion. Why are there no clear answers to important issues? Let me give you some examples. What is the right way to raise your children? How should you school them? What is the correct way to do church government?

As Christians (particularly in Presbyterian circles, though it is present elsewhere) we are very prone to pretend we know. Are we daring to say we have figured everything out and that all these other churches and families who love God are doing it wrong? Is there a correct way or is it more about the heart?Is it possible that it doesn’t matter if you send your children to public school or sing praise songs rather than hymns? These things aren’t evil or more proper in and of themselves. Maybe homeschooling isn’t the answer for your family. Is it possible that the “right” choice depends on the family, church, or individual and to apply your preferences/opinion/convictions on someone else as dogma is not a Christian attitude?

How would we then live if we though Christianity wasn’t about a list of proper ways to do things? (When I say that I mean one specific way to live out a righteous life that applies to all people). What if it was about a relationship with Christ and being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? I think most of us know that in our heads but haven’t let that knowledge flood our hearts. What if Christianity is not solely a way to live your life? What if it’s more than a process of learning what is the “right” thing. (Again when I say that I mean a standard of specific actions that applies to all people). There is nothing wrong with tradition or a way of doing things but we should have the humility to accept our way may not be the best way, or what works for us may not for others. Maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know. I just find it hard to believe that there is only one way or course of action to live a righteous life. Living a life that shows trust and faith in the finished work Christ is the right way but beyond that is there a specific course of certain actions that are more righteous than others? I don’t have the answer to that.

Devotions

Let me tell you a little bit about my daily routine. I get up at 6:30 and read my bible for two hours and then go to breakfast at 8:30. After a healthy breakfast of toast, eggs, a banana, and a bowl of raisin bran I start classes. I draw between every break and don’t waste a single second until 4pm when my classes are over. I go back to my dorm to get my home work done. I eat dinner at 5:30 and then draw until 7. Afterwards I go read my bible for another hour and finish any other homework that I may have. I usually get to bed by 9.

Yeah, so that was a little bit of a lie. I usually get up at 7:30 read my bible for about 20min and then proceed to do the exact opposite of just about everything I said up there. This is something that God has been putting on my heart recently. Just how hard am I seeking God? I am getting better at drawing compulsively and doing that as much as I should and I thank God for letting me be able to do that. But if God is the most important thing in this world and we are called to live as exiles in a foreign land why am I not reading his word with the same passion that I have when I draw? Is 20min+ really enough? I’m not saying there is some perfect amount of time that you should be reading and meditating in God’s word. However I think, particularly as college students, it’s easy to make our devotions that last thing on our to-do list. Even if we do it first thing in the morning it can become a let’s-get-this-thing-I-have-to-do-out-of-the-way-so-I-can-focus-on-other-stuff. We are in possession of the biography of the almighty creator of the universe, why aren’t we reading it more? Why after God has done so much for us and sacrificed His own son, are we putting him on the back burner? How do we expect to be more like Christ, be victorious against sin, and witness to others if we just do a cursory reading of a chapter or two every morning? I read through an entire novel in about a day. Why am I not pursuing God’s with as much, if not more, zeal? This is something I am working on and praying that God will give me discipline and a heart to read His word. I realize that a lot of the time our desires will not change overnight. It takes some long hard practice to make something a habit. If we get into a habit of reading the word who knows, we might surprise ourselves and actually start thirsting after it.

What Is College For?

One thing I’ve noticed at Belhaven, and this is probably the same wherever you went to, or are going to college, is that everyone has a different reason for going to college. Some people are here so they can make more money (which is ironic since most of the time you will come out of college with significant debt); some come to prove to a parent who wasn’t really there for them that they can make it on their own; some just want the experience of the kind of community that college creates. While none of these are necessarily bad reasons for coming I would encourage you to think about why are you looking at or attending college. Are you here because your parents told you to? Perhaps you’ve seen the numbers about the incomes of high school verses college graduates. One student I talked to said she was here to prove to her dad who ran out on her mom that she didn’t need him to succeed. Some people just feel like it’s something you have to do, it’s part of life. That was probably why I came–that and I felt like I couldn’t learn the art skills I needed without some kind of higher education. I am very glad to be here and a feel like this is where God wants me. College is a good transition into real life and a good time to practice before you’re completely out on your own.

I guess what I’m trying to say with all this rambling is I don’t think college should just be a place you go so you can earn more money. I don’t think that fits with what the Bible teaches about the love of money. Our purpose in life shouldn’t be to climb as high as we can in the corporate ladder or make the most money. Our chief end is to glorify God in all that we do. If this involves having a successful business then so be it. I think that college should be a place where you develop the skills God has given you. Focus on glorifying Him and He will direct your path. College is also a good place to grow closer to God. It can be hard to make the time for reading your bible with the busy college schedule. But at the same time you are no longer under your parents guidance and you’re free to pursue a relationship that isn’t directed and sometimes required by them.

Just something to think about as you look into college or consider your career. There is nothing that says you can’t serve God effectively without a degree. God has a plan that is unique to the way he made you. He will show you what He desires of your life. If college is where he is leading you then enjoy it. But don’t forget who’s in control. These aren’t the years when you find yourself–these are the years when you make yourself who you’re going to be. Take advantage of the unusually flexible time in your life to serve God and discover what he has in store for you. Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.