Introduction
And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
Have you seen the movie, The Odd Couple? It starred Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as a pair of mismatched roommates. One was a neat freak; the other was a slob. This combination of polar-opposite personalities led to a series of clashes.
You and God are an odd couple, too.
God is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
You are sinful (Romans 3:23).
Yet, God doesn’t allow this difference to clash with His love for you.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our [sins] from us (Psalm 103:12).
God’s love is revealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life, and His crucifixion paid for the sins of our imperfect lives. Forgiveness and eternal joy in heaven are free gifts to us through faith in Christ’s atoning work.
God’s love is also revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and the Bible. God sends the Holy Spirit to give us the faith we need to believe these things (1 Corinthians 2:12), and He gives us the Bible to provide guidance for our lives (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
Like Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, you and God are roommates. If you go to the highest mountain, God is with you. If you go to the bottom of the sea, God is with you. When you step into that new dorm for the first time, God is with you, as well, and He’s the best roommate you could ever have. He’s all-powerful, all-knowing and promises to guide (Psalm 48:14), preserve (Psalm 121:8) and bless you (Numbers 6:24). Sometimes your desires will clash with God’s plan; sometimes things will go negatively. Nevertheless, God continually works for your good through it all (Romans 8:28).
These truths make college a great opportunity to grow in Christ. Consider 2 Peter 1:5-8 for the progression of a maturing faith. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As an immature Christian, I wasn’t prepared for the college environment. I didn’t know what was important. I didn’t know what to ignore. I didn’t know how to plug myself into God’s Word, use prayer and make wise decisions. I didn’t know how to unplug myself from situations that choked off my faith and hurt me spiritually.
The purpose of this book is to help Christian students avoid these pitfalls. Hopefully, such knowledge makes college an enjoyable experience, strengthens their faith and enables them to better understand God’s plan for their lives. One thing to beware of with such an endeavor is the expectations of the reader. This is not a wish-fulfillment book. It does not promise that if you do A, B and C, God will respond by doing X, Y and Z, and you’ll be happy and successful at everything you attempt. Being a Christian doesn’t work that way. God doesn’t bless us because of what we do; God blesses us because of what Christ has done for us.
I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit (John 15:1-2). Therefore, delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:4-5).
As we grow in our faith, God blesses us, either by letting our efforts bear fruit or by pruning away the things that hinder our progress. In His grace, God allows our personalities, hopes and desires — in Christ — to be a part of the process. The key phrase of that last sentence is in Christ. A person who is in Christ doesn’t give in to anger, bitterness or discouragement when they don’t get exactly what they desire from God. Rather, a person who is in Christ realizes that God has something better in mind. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, they try to closer conform themselves to God’s will and trust God to guide them and provide them with what is needed along the way.
Martin Luther once wrote, I see that this is the will of God, who without doubt has something greater and more sublime in mind than I am able to understand. Of this I am certain, that He will not desert me nor reject me. His will is incomprehensible, but still best, and I have no doubt that He wants to and is able to deliver me from these evils…God will not leave me. What He plans for me, I do not rightly know…but I know that He has better things in mind than I know now…therefore, I commend myself to the Lord my God, who alone is wise and powerful and good.
Job echoed this sentiment when he said, though [God] slay me, yet will I trust Him (Job 13:15). Such surrendering of the self and acceptance of the results can be a challenge, for we aren’t unfeeling robots running mindless programs. We hurt. We cry. We doubt. We get scared. But God is with us through it all. In addition, He gives us the Bible so we can learn His truth and apply it to the problems we face in life.
God is infinite in His imagination, and He created each person different. While Biblical truths about life are the same for everyone in principle, the same application may not work for everyone. Hence, readers should take a fluid approach to this book. If advice applies to you directly, great. If it doesn’t, improvise in Christ. If things fail to go as expected, step back and reassess the situation through the eyes of faith.
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Some things may go negatively in the present, but in the long run God can convert even those negative things into blessings. Read the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). Joseph was sold into slavery and whisked away into an uncertain future, yet he clung to God’s promises and ended up being second-in-command of Egypt.
Also, search the scriptures and test these applications. Perhaps you will find more useful insights that better relate to your personal circumstances. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).
Later on we will delve more deeply into Bible study. For now, remember that God is your roommate. Don’t be an Odd Couple, always clashing with God’s intent and going against His commandments. It is hard for you to kick against the goads (Acts 9:5). Goads are sharp sticks used to guide oxen. If oxen kick against them, they experience discomfort. If they stay on course, they make progress. God wants you to stay on course and make progress according to His will. Sometimes this also means leaving the sinful path you are on and turning more fully toward Christ. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1). Rather, teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path (Psalm 23:3).
Teaching implies learning on your part. The lessons may not always be comfortable. The path may not always seem smooth. This is where faith comes in, for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Having faith often means deferring to God’s will even if it creates difficulty. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10).
Things are not always as we think, but they are always as God promises, for God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Therefore, be a God Couple as you walk with the Lord at college. Fueled by Christ, try to conduct yourself according to His will, trust in His promises and listen to what He teaches. After all, college is all about learning lessons.
HOMEWORK
- Many people are nervous about starting college. Think back to a time when you were nervous about starting something new, but God blessed the experience with positive results. Pray that the Lord does the same with your college experience.
- Likewise, think back to a time when you had a negative experience. Can you now see how God was with you through it all? Pray, praise and give thanks.
