You may be surprised to find that there are only three scriptures here. While I could give you verse after verse to uplift and encourage you, I find that these few verses explained in detail are more powerful to us than several just given a single glance-over. College has been the hardest test of my faith. At times, I have prospered, while at others, I have not. Today's generation is in the biggest spiritual war in history. Now, more than ever, it is essential that as entirety we remind ourselves what we are here for: spreading the gospel.
1 Timothy 4:12
Do no let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
I honestly cannot describe to you my love for this scripture. It's application rings with such truth in today's society. It seems the church pits itself against one another rather than coming together to further the mission set before us by God. It is our job- yours and mine- to be witness even unto our elders in the church. Young people having a firm, grounded faith in God has never been more vital than in this generation. We cannot afford the time to bicker amongst ourselves about who's way of worship is superior. Jesus is coming back. Soon. Now is the time to be reaching out towards the ends of the Earth, and in our own backyard, spreading the truth that there is a Heaven to gain and Hell to shun.
John 15:12
My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
When you look this up in the Bible, this is written red. That's straight for the main-man himself, people. Not once, let me repeat that, not once, did Jesus minister about the Father with anger. Not once did he attempt to gain followers by striking fear into a person's heart. Not. Once. Yet I see people walk onto crowded streets, and onto college campuses presenting the message of God with signs of hate. The more someone yells at me to do something, by accusing me I am wrong, the more defiant I become. You should have seen me trying to eat my peas at dinner. If I am unresponsive to a message like that, how can I expect others to want to do the same? I don't. That's not how Jesus taught us to present the message of God. He did it through unending love. He gave glory to God in every situation and used each moment as a tool to share the goodness of God. He showed others how laying down their life of sin is in their best interest.
John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.
Read that again. And again. This time, slow down when you read it and take in every word. Now read it one last time. Now take it to your life and apply it. Apply it to your personal life. Apply it to you social life. In every area, take the amount of time of you give to God and increase it by five minutes. Pray for five more minutes. Talk to someone about God for five more minutes. Meditate on the goodness of Him for five more minutes. Connect with Him on a deep, philosophical level for five minutes. This will jump-start your faith, but it requires discipline. Just like working out or eating healthy.
At first, it's not fun, and you kind of dread of it, but as you get in the habit of drawing close to Him, you find that you crave it more and more. How can we preach to others to begin a relationship with God, if we do not have one ourselves? God longs for you to spend time with Him. All He wants is for you to draw close and get to know Him. The Bible tells you about Him, it is a different thing entirely to experience Him. But to experience Him, is life-changing. Once you truly know His love, it is impossible to contain it. You can't help but share His amazing goodness. In order for Him to take over your life, though, He must increase, and you must decrease.
