Coming from a college freshman, I get it, you are ready to be in college, you are ready to be out of your parents’ house and able to live your own life. No more "Do this" and "Do that". You finally feel you have the freedom to do whatever you want. For most kids, it is a time to party and drink and rebel. What I have noticed in my time in college in there are a lot of so called "religious people and very few true Christians. Do they ever thin about the consequences of their actions? Sure, you may think your invincible and you have everything figured out, but what happens the day that you are arrested or seriously hurt in an accident because of a stupid choice you made? Evaluate your heart.

If you proclaim to be a true Christian live like one. You can’t live for satan Monday through Saturday and then live for Christ on Sunday. Laurence J Peter writes “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car.” You can't think you are a Christian just because you go to Church on Sunday. Anyone can make themselves look good on the outside but only God and you know who you truly are on the inside. Something that college kids lack is "character". Character is who you are and what you do when nobody is looking. To have true character you must talk the talk and walk the walk. In other words, practice what you preach it’s easy if you trust in Christ.

The other big thing that college kids don’t know how to do is say NO. It’s a simple word people and it isn’t that hard to say. Many college deaths you hear of today are peer pressure related. Many kids are pressured into drinking or taking drugs or just doing stupid things. They think if they don’t partake in it because they are a Christian then they will be viewed as weird or become an outcast. Well for me I for one thing am a Christian and my life is devoted to the Lord and He gave me my body an I’m not going to do anything to harm it. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. We don’t even own our bodies they are the Lords. So why do kids want to ruin their bodies and potentially their lives.

Myself and others like me are viewed as weird and abnormal and odd. I’ve been judged for carrying around a bible in between classes or praying over my food in a public place on campus. The truth is I’m perfectly ok with that. Jesus says in Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So honestly even if you are persecuted the Lord look down with favor upon you.

I am also a youth minister and I hold a reputation of just that, so I would never be caught doing anything of such sorts because of who I proclaim to live for. Now I’m not sitting here saying I’m better than anyone, I sin every day as do all of us. There isn’t a soul on the planet that’s better than any other. I’m just a sinner saved by grace who chooses to try to serve and please God every day that I live. Many college kids may not even know what being a true Christian means and that’s a shame. Many kids will say, “I’m too far gone” or “How could God love someone like me.” I’m here to tell you that God loves you no matter your past or your future and He desires to have a personal relationship with you. If you let him be the Lord of your life, He will save you and he will change you.For the so called religious person out there who claims to be a Christian but your action say otherwise, evaluate your heart. Foe the struggling Christian, don’t give up God is still right there with you and He will never leave you. For the true Christian, continue to stay strong in your faith and serve the Lord with your life, you will be rewarded for that. Finally, for the lost person who is distant from God, I pray that you come to the realization that the Savior of the world loves you and wants to be the Lord of your life. The thought I leave you with is this, if you were convicted of being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? The picture below shows what Jesus did for you on the cross. He suffered and died for you so you could have eternal life. Just remember when he was on the cross he was thinking of you. There is no greater love than this. God bless all of you