what is education?

To you, the student:

Maybe you feel like you're running an obstacle course. You probably spend the majority of your morning and afternoon hours sitting in classes, listening to lectures, and doing homework. (Or if you're homeschooled, just doing homework.) You must learn the facts, memorize the equations, and write the papers. With every assignment, you dutifully complete it—or at least do as little as you can get away with—in order to gain the tools you will someday need to make a living. For now, you are just enduring school, every requirement bringing you ever closer to that glorious end: graduation. Whether your educational journey ends with your high school diploma or your college diploma, you are most certainly anticipating the day when you will "arrive" and receive the certification declaring that you have successfully jumped through all the necessary hoops. You have been adequately prepared for the "real world." Congratulations! You've done it. You have successfully completed your education.

Or have you?

It is a common assumption to view education as means to an end. It is something you must begin in order to bring about a desired cause (in which case you will have reached the end). However, contrary to popular belief, this is not what education is—at least, education according to the Bible. 

The Biblical view says that we never "arrive." The process of becoming Christ-like is on-going and constant. We must take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), continually die to ourselves (2 Corinthians 4:11), and always be being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). While we certainly do have the hope of heaven, there is no "finish line" for the Christian. In the same way, education does not have a "finish line," but rather education is an end in itself....

As a Christian, it doesn't matter what you do—whether you're an engineer, an actor, a musician, a construction worker, or a preacher. Everything you do is sacred. There is no distinction between sacred and secular in the Christian life. The same goes for education. We are called to be in a constant accumulation of understanding, both in our view of God and our view of the world. With God, education is more than just a "coupon for life" that you redeem for a job in the "real world." Education's purpose reaches far beyond passing a test to the entirely more magnificent end of glorifying God with our minds. 

Maybe you're still in school; or maybe you've already graduated. Maybe you're already retired! Whatever the case, you are still called to be a hard thinker for Christ. The Bible commands us to love God with everything, including our minds (Matthew 22:37). If we adopt the mindset that education more than mere knowledge or a ticket to the work force, then we will begin the journey of perpetual learning for the glory of God. 

We want to think big thoughts about God. We want to develop our God-given skills. We want to work hard to strengthen our weaknesses. We want to think critically, and all for the Lord Jesus Christ! So let us not view school as an obstacle course, dodging our way around hurtles and doing our best to just get by. And while it is absolutely fine to look forward to graduation, let's not assume that our education will then be complete. Though we will never "arrive" or be complete in this life, we have a goal we're aiming for in everything we do: the glory of God. As you finish out this school year, keep in mind what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5:

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

. 

You know the feeling when...

...when you've completed something really challenging? Something that, at first, you weren't sure how you would complete it? Well, I have that feeling right now. I have just written an essay on a five-line poem!!! (It was "A Man Said to the Universe" by Stephan Crane.) The essay was supposed to be on the worldview of the poem/author. As you can guess, I had to focus on what the poem implied, rather than what it said ('cause it didn't say much). It felt so good to finish it, because I felt as though I had completed something of utmost substance! =D Satisfaction in work is a wonderful feeling.

I know how busy life can get with school and activities, but remember to keep persevering and doing your best in your work. God commands us to do everything for His glory--that includes our everyday responsibilities! =)

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. (Ephesians 6:5-7)

Doing hard things are hard, but in the end, it's so worth it! So keep pressing on, doing your work as for the Lord, even in your busy life! There is a special promise for those who do everything for the Lord, and it's found in the very next verse!

" knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." (Ephesians 6:8)

Pressing On

It is exciting that a new school year is almost here! I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by! Now it's time to settle down and get back into that good ol' school routine!

As I'm looking ahead at the plethora of classes and activities that are about to fill up my weeks, I realize that I need to set some goals so that I can make the most of my time. One of them is to go to be early. The morning time is when I'm the most productive, so I plan on getting up extra early this year. Family are excellent accountability partners, and I've asked mine to keep me accountable.

Do you have any goals for this year? I would encourage you all to set one or two. Why? Goals give direction, an end to pursue. Without goals, it's easy to get distracted and not to care when you start to lag behind. Without goals, you can give up without feeling any guilt. When there are no expectations set, you can't let yourself down because you have nothing to live up to.

If goals are important for our daily life, how much more important they are for our spiritual life!

"...Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

It makes me excited to think that Christ has a goal for me to reach! The goal: Christ likeness; conforming to the glorious image of Christ. The prise: Christ likeness obtained in heaven. We will never "arrive" in our spiritual life here on earth, but when God calls us to heaven, we will finally receive the prise that was an unattainable goal on earth.

Though we will never reach the goal of Christ likeness in this life, it keeps our lives focused on Him, so we can live a profitable life for Jesus. It's impossible to reach the goal just yet, but Christ can help us grow closer and closer to that goal.

So now it's time to get focused. What are you pressing on for?

Set-Apart

Have you read any of Leslie Ludy's books? What did you think?

I'm reading one right now, and all I can say is that it's convicting, inspiring, and eye-opening.

I would highly recommend her books to all my friends! She encourages us to lay aside self, and pour our lives into living for Christ! (I would suggest that you are under 13 years old that you have your parents read the books first, as she does address some topics geared for teens.)
Set-Apart Girl website

Don't Waste Your Year

It's. Nearly. 2010. That's a scary thought (and I feel the same way every coming year)! And you know what New Year's means: parties, New York, the countdown, and "new year's resolutions."

Have you ever made any resolutions? If you're like me (and you're probably not), then you'll have many excellent, challenging resolutions. The beginning of the year will start out great! You'll keep on schedule, stay on track, prevail in diligence, and keep yourself accountable. But slowly, very slowly, as the months go by, your diligence starts to decline, and procrastination starts to set in. With all the activities and responsibilities you have, your resolutions slowly move to the back of your mind. Eventually they're forgotten. Until New Year's. Then you look back on your year, a bit guilty that your resolutions have not happened . . . once again.

So why is it so hard to keep resolutions (or am I the only one who finds it difficult)? I think there's probably many reasons; but ultimately, resolutions fail because people (including me) try to do them in their own strength. And I know from experience that things done in my own strength never succeed. But take a look at what God says:

Proverbs 16:3

NIV
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
ESV
Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (NKJV, emphasis mine.)

By committing my way to the Lord - doing it in God's strength - meditating and applying God's Word, I can have success in what I do! Of course I must make sure "my" plans are not my plans only, but God's promise is clear: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."

The below lists are Sunday school notes from a few years ago, adapted by yours truly.

10 Ways to waste your year

10. Don't commit to anything

9. Do things on your own (and in your own strength)

8. Expert in putting things off

7. Spend lots of time on the Internet, watching TV, etc.

6. Choose wrong vs. right

5. Center activities and your life on yourself

4. Go with the flow (of the world)

3. Don't take your parents' advise

2. Use your time for your own benefit

1. Have no goals

10 Ways to make the most of your year

10. Commit to something

9. Have an accountability partner

8. Don't procrastinate (in other words, "procrastinate later" =D)

7. Manage your time, make God your priority

6. Chose Truth over tolerance

5. Center your life on Christ

4. Fight peer pressure

3. Take your parents' wise counsel (and ask for counsel)

2. Be servant-hearted

1. Set a goal!

Question of the Month

So I've been wondering . . .


Why is it important that Jesus was born in a manger? (Or was it important?)


Note: There is no wrong or right answer, necessarily. I just wanted to see what you all thought.

What's With the Fish?

Have you ever seen the Christian symbol of the fish? Until a few days ago, I had no idea how this symbol had anything to do with Christians! I was reading my history and was learning about the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. During those times, the Christians made their own burial graves beneath the ground, called catacombs, where they would put the bodies of their friends and relatives. These catacombs also contain some of the earliest Christian art which illustrated their faith in Christ. One of the frequently found symbols on the walls of these catacombs is the fish. They used this symbol as a confession of their faith in Jesus Christ because the Greek word for fish is ichthus.

Iesous Christos, Theou Uios, Soter
Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior

Ingeniously, they used that word as an acrostic to proclaim the deity of Christ! I found this so intriguing, that I researched just a bit more about it online. I read that there may be a couple more reasons why the early Christians might have used the fish symbol:

1) Jesus chose fishermen to be some of His disciples and declared them to be "fishers of men," as all of His followers are to be.
2) The fish would not be an obvious Christian symbol to persecutors.

It is said that during the persecution of the early church, when a Christian met someone new, he would draw a single arc in the dirt or sand. If the other person was also a Christian, he would complete the arc, forming the shape of a fish. If he did not complete the symbol, the Christian would know he was not a believer.

This early symbol of the Christian faith endures today (though not as reverently) on bumper stickers, T-shirts, businesses, etc. as a sign of Christian faith.

Today, since it a well known Christian symbol, the fish is often seen with "Jesus" written on the inside or includes a cross. Unfortunately, there have been some spoofs made on this symbol, such as the "Darwin fish," which has legs.

Maybe you already knew this, but it excited me to learn the roots of this neat Christian symbol! And now that I know its history and meaning, it is much more meaningful to me. It is also a reminder of the amazing faith and endurance of the early Christians!

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Mark 1:16-18)