“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…” Philippians 1:27 ESV
Reflect
A few weeks ago I started college again at the local university after studying Christian ministry online for over a year. Just walking through campus the differences I noticed between the two were almost tangible. It wasn’t until I sat through all my classes when I began to really think about all the secularism I was being exposed to. My professors taught from an extremely secular perspective, most of my peers were either atheist or agnostic, and after several discussions with people, it was made known being a Christian was something that was frowned upon. It was strange to me how majority of these people preached “be accepting of all religions” yet Christians need to keep their mouths shut. I knew since I would be going to a public college, I should expect it to be very secular, but the fog of depravity was so thick within these campus corners that I struggled to see clearly what, as a believer, I needed to do.
Glorifying God in college can seem like an impossibly hard task when everything and everyone around you is loving the world and sin. Instead of falling into the snares of pleasing our fellow man, sisters, here are some ways we can glorify our heavenly Father while in college:
1. Surround yourself with like-minded Christians.
2. Become involved in your local church.
3. Join/start a campus Bible study.I am not saying you shouldn’t be around people who aren’t Christians, but it is important that your close friends consist of people who will point you to Christ. Choosing who you hang out with the most will affect how you behave over time. When you are around God-loving people you are more likely to act in a manner that reflects the Gospel (Proverbs 12:26). Becoming involved in your local church will allow you more opportunities to meet fellow believers while also creating an environment for Christlike growth and community (Galatians 5:13, 1 Samuel 12:24, & Matthew 6:33). Lastly, I would encourage you to join or start an on-campus Bible study. Staying in the Word is so important because it constantly reminds us we are not to live like the world. When everyone around us is indulging in their sin, we must rely on His Truth to sustain us and to give us strength to glorify Him even in the most difficult of situations. We are not here to please man, but to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Pray
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and mercy. Help me to remain disciplined in Your Word and give me strength to obey You at any cost. Sanctify me, Lord, and make me hate the things of the world. Give me opportunity to proclaim Your name and help me to glorify You no matter what. Amen.
Your Turn
Are you struggling to glorify God while in college? Get in the Word, and take the steps necessary to kill sin and become fully devoted to Christ. Choosing God might not be the most popular thing while in school, but He is the only thing that will satisfy you. Unashamedly, we can preach the Gospel while living our lives out in a manner that glorifies Him.