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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Living in a university town such as Glassboro it
does not surprise me that my thoughts often return to my own days at college,
especially to those first days of living and studying away from home. It was
a time for getting a sense of one's own independence, a time for escaping the
constant questioning of parents who wanted to know where I was going and when
I would be home. While I was thankful that I came from a Christian home and
church, those first days of college were ones of enjoying a new found liberty
in doing my own thing. To be sure there were some things I saw to be quite
frightening. After all, mom and dad weren't around to be my crutch whenever I
fouled things up. Nevertheless, for the most part it was great not having to
constantly report in, as it were.
I that it is not much different for a Christian young person today regardless
of whether the college of choice is a Christian one or a state run
institution. The fact is, however, that with the enjoyment of such new found
liberties there are also new temptations to sin. I am not speaking of the
kinds of temptations that are so much a part of the non Christian's world
(i.e. wild parties, drinking, drugs, sex). Having been raised in a Christian
home and church all of one's life may go a long way in keeping a Christian
college student from such things. It may also serve keep that student from
the temptation of embracing the philosophy of the world being extolled in
that institution of learning where he is studying.
No, the thing I am referring to is the temptation to grow careless amidst all
of one's newly discovered liberty. It is the temptation to grow careless
about reading God's Word and prayer. It is the temptation to begin neglect
the house of worship and the fellowship of God's people. It is the temptation
of being so taken up by one's new intellectual studies that we forget the
real world that we have come from and to which we will soon be returning
after matriculation. It is the temptation that comes with all the common
excuses every college student has used. "I am just too busy to go to
church today. My schedule is so loaded that I just don't have time to spend
witnessing to others or spending time with my Christian friends in prayer and
the study of God's Word." And in the midst of such excuses one begins to
grow careless about a studied pursuit in life of that which the Bible speaks
of as godliness.
Young person, has this become true of you? Do you realize that these excuses
are not all that different from the ones your parents and other Christians
have used time and time again? When does a Christian begin to decline in his
or her spiritual condition? It usually begins when we begin to cut corners on
our own devotional life and walk, and when we discover that our circumstances
are such that no one is looking over our shoulder and reminding us of our
duty. Let us not forget that God sees us at all times. That is something that
can never be true of one's parents, pastor, or elders. God is everywhere beholding
the evil and the good. Let us not think for a moment that the sin of
carelessness is any less dangerous to us than the sins indulged in by the
world. Anything that takes our eyes off of the Saviour or that hinders our
giving glory to God is an affront to His majesty and a barrier to our
communion and walk with Him.
Whatever lessons our nation needs to glean in light of the recent terrorist
attacks, surely these events are a wakeup call for every Christian to
self-examination. Whatever lessons are to be learned from all those college
courses of study, they cannot and must not be the instruments of taking the
edge off of our studies to be like our Lord and Saviour. Whatever new found
liberty you may presently enjoy, let it not be the occasion of carelessness.
Christians are called to be watchful and that especially as they see the day
of Christ approaching. Are you being such? Are you living as under the eye of
God, the one who is not only the Saviour of sinners but the judge before whom
we much all appear? May God grant that it be so.
Rev. Claude D. DePrine, III
To contact the pastor by e-mail go to Pastor@providenceopc.org
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