College: the designated time in life to party, break some rules, and have too much fun. Fun is automatically equated with sex, alcohol, and popularity. The most important questions are: Who knows the most people on campus? How many girls did you sleep with last weekend? Is my frat better than your frat? And who’s doing the pregame before the party on Friday night?

When asking students on my campus about God, Jesus, and the Bible, many say they prefer to investigate Christianity later in life and want to simply enjoy the “college life” right now. Unfortunately, I think college students are settling and selling themselves short. They are missing out on something bigger, greater, and better. Consider this story my Campus Outreach director, Jeremy Moore, often shares:

"It’s Thanksgiving Day and all your extended family has traveled to your grandmother’s house. Of course, your grandmother is the best cook and this has naturally become the tradition every year. The house is packed and the aroma of turkey, stuffing, and pie are spreading throughout every room in the home. All the guys are spread out in the living room, watching the big game. While the main meal is being prepared, you walk into the dining room. In the middle of the table, next to the potpourri and family pictures, sits a container of peanut M&M’s.

By now, you’re practically starving because you’ve been waiting on grandmother’s Thanksgiving meal all day. Unfortunately, the temptation is just too much to handle. It starts with one, but before you know it you’ve eaten the whole container of M&M’s. While peanut M&M’s are excellent candies, they can be purchased at a gas station and eaten at any time in the year. Today is the only day you can enjoy your grandmother’s incredible Thanksgiving meal. However, you now have a stomach ache and have ruined your appetite. The M&M’s were good at first, but they ultimately left a negative feeling. If you had simply waited for your grandmother to finish cooking, you could have been completely satisfied. Unfortunately, you chose a good thing and made it the ultimate thing instead of waiting for the better thing."

This story accurately depicts how college students look at a relationship with Jesus Christ. Alcohol, sex, and popularity are the peanut M&M’s we eat, while the gospel of Jesus Christ is the Thanksgiving meal that can truly satisfy. Here is the most interesting part: these peanut M&M’s aren’t actually bad. In fact, they are all good things that God originally intended for good. Due to sin, the human race has corrupted alcohol, sex, and relationships. Luke 7 strongly suggests Jesus himself drank wine, 1 Corinthians 7 explains the purpose of sex in marriage, and Hebrews 10:24-25 explains the importance of encouraging each other to pursue Christ. The problem with these peanut M&M’s is that the human race has chosen these good things, corrupted them, and made them the ultimate things, instead of choosing the greatest and best thing.

Students often associate following Christ with giving up all the peanut M&M’s they love. They think Christians live a boring life and miss out on all the fun things college has to offer. However, all of these things, such as sex, alcohol, and popularity, are ultimately good things that must be used in the right context, for good. Personally, after placing my faith in Jesus and beginning a relationship with Him, I have experienced more purpose, satisfaction, and joy than ever before in my life. If I ended this article here, I would not be accurately depicting the message of Jesus. Although following Christ does include purpose, satisfaction, and joy, it also involves a tremendous sacrifice. Here are a few words from Jesus himself to explain this sacrifice:

Matthew 10:37-39: “He who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

Matthew 16:26-27: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

Matthew 19:29-30: “And everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for my name’s sake will receive may times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

Luke 9:23: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

All of these passages make clear that there is a sacrifice. They show that following Christ involves putting everything on the line and giving everything up. Many of the disciples were fishermen and tax collectors who left their livelihood and families to follow Christ for the remainder of their life. To explain this idea of sacrifice even further, the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-8:

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”

When Paul writes, “I have suffered the loss of all things,” he does not mean that lightly. In Jewish culture, Paul had all the popularity and power a man could ever want. He was a high-ranking Pharisee, part of the tribe of Benjamin, and a persecutor of the Christian church. However, he gave up every earthy accolade in order to follow Christ and preach the good news of the gospel.

Basically what Paul is saying in Philippians 3 is that Jesus is better. Jesus is better than anything, any person, any accolade or any position this world can offer you. Jesus is greater than being a part of a top-tier fraternity. Jesus is better than being an RA or a member of SGA. Jesus is better than alcohol, drugs, and the fun they involve. Jesus is better than the money a great job provides. Following Jesus is the best thing, the ultimate thing, and the only thing you need.

To conclude and to answer the question posed in the title, YES it is worth it to follow Jesus in college. YES, it is worth it to sacrifice your popularity, power, and accolades in order to follow Him. YES it is worth it put everything on the line. Instead of waiting to investigate Christ until after college, do it now. I assure you, IT IS WORTH IT. Here are a few reasons:

1. You don’t want to live with immense guilt and regret. Say you do investigate Christ when you’re 35 and decide to follow Him. All of your sin is immediately wiped away, forgiven, and forgotten. However, it might be difficult to live with some of the bad decisions you made while enjoying the “college life.”
2. You aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. You don’t know if your life contains 60 more years or 60 more seconds. Only God knows the day of your death. Why wait when you can begin a relationship with the God of the universe today?
3. College provides a huge realm of influence. You may potentially know hundreds or even thousands of people. Instead of using clubs, fraternities, and organizations simply to benefit your own agenda and resume, you could use them as opportunities to share the message of Jesus.

This was a very long-winded article, but I hope it provided some practical reasons and biblical evidence to explain why it is worth it to follow Christ in college. Jesus is better.