Sunday Sermons
After Graduation
After Graduation
Charles F. Kettering once said, “My interest is in the future, because I am going to spend the rest of my life there”. Knowing what direction one should take and what to prepare for can seem like an overwhelming assignment. Someone once said, “Since you have never been this way before, how can you know the way?” Yet God has not left us marooned and without guidance at any stage of our lives. The Bible does claim to have wisdom, even for the young man or woman who is just starting out on the journey (Proverbs 2:1-2; 1:4). Joshua was told that if he was strong and courageous, and obeyed God implicitly, then he would have “success wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7). The purpose of this lesson is to provide some guidance for those graduating from High School.
Keep the End in Mind
The following is an entrance exam that Philip Neri gave to young men desiring to study Law:
“Why did you come?” he would begin.
“To study law”, was the standard reply.
“What will you do when you have studied law?”
“I will set up my practice”.
“And after that?”
“I will get married and have a family”.
“What then?”
“I will enjoy my home and my work”.
“Then what?”
“Then I will grow older and eventually die”.
“And after death what then?”
The idea is that we are really not ready to live as we should, until we have come to terms with the fact that we will die and answer to God for everything we have said and done, whether it is good or bad (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Alexander Dumas put it like this: “If the end be well, all is well”. “The happiest, most effective life is lived by those who recognize life’s ‘common ventures’ (such as death, work, marriage, and parenthood) and prepare adequately for them. The Chinese have a proverb for it: ‘Dig your well before you get thirsty’” (After the Tassel is Moved, Louis O. Caldwell, p. 22). Compare with Proverbs 6:6-8. “In five or ten or twenty-five years, you will be ‘there’. The question is, ‘where’?” (p. 23). What determines the “where” is the choices we make or do not make, the people we associate with, and the books we read.
More Important than a Specific Career
One High School graduating class chose for its motto: Your life is God’s gift to you; what you do with it is your gift to God. Every generation has asked the question, “How can I know what kind of work the Lord wants me to do?” Actually, God does not assign a specific career, but rather He says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23). In this same chapter, Paul wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (3:17). So instead of being intimidated by the vast array of choices ahead of you, the best counsel at such a time is be certain that you are giving Christ a fully surrendered life. “Whatever” career you select, do it with the best of your ability, and by your efforts glorify God in the presence of those who observe your actions and attitudes (Matthew 5:16). An unknown author wrote, “Success lies not in achieving what you aim at, but in aiming at what you ought to achieve”, and what we “ought to achieve” is serving God (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Money
Money (up to a point) can certainly make this life comfortable; yet remember that money will buy:
· A bed but not sleep: (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
· Books but not wisdom.
· Food but not appetite.
· Finery but not beauty.
· A house but not a home.
· Medicine but not health.
· Luxuries but not culture.
· Amusement but not happiness.
“Rudyard Kipling once addressed a graduation class in Canada. In his speech Kipling cautioned: “Don’t put too much emphasis on fame and fortune. Some day you will meet a man who needs none of these things, and then you will know how poor you are” (p. 36). Jesus cautioned, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Be prepared, at some point in the near future you will be confronted with the choice of whether material possessions or God and His kingdom will come first in your life (Luke 8:14; Matthew 6:24).
Bible Study
“A mother put a twenty-dollar bill in a Bible that she packed for her son as he left for college. He returned after the school year was over and, as she helped him unpack his belongings, she found the Bible with the twenty-dollar bill still undiscovered. And to think what else went undiscovered” (p. 23). As one enters college there will be the temptation to place one’s studies ahead of spiritual nourishment. It is very easy to start a pattern of thinking that justifies putting our spiritual growth on hold for a few years because we are “overwhelmed” with other responsibilities. Yet I find that once one starts this pattern, it is much easier to apply it after college. The truth of the matter is that there will always be a hundred things that want your attention and to take the place of your prayer life, bible study time, and time that one meets with the saints. We need to remember that college or a career can only do so much, neither can convert us, neither are cure-alls, or a guarantee of a secure future. One of the problems with neglecting bible study or worship is that one becomes completely unaware of what they are missing. I see this principle played out a couple of times in Scripture. The church at Sardis was completely unaware that they were spiritually dead (Revelation 3:1). In like manner, the Laodiceans did not realize that they were lukewarm (Revelation 3:16,17). As you grow older you will see this truth played out as you encounter professed Christians who think they are faithful and knowledgeable, but yet seem completely blind to their condition of ignorance and unfaithfulness. Do not believe the lie that you can do without bible study, prayer, or regular worship for a while yet not suffer any harm (Hebrews 5:11-14).
Will God get my Best?
As the Scriptures teach, give any occupation your best effort (Colossians 3:23), but as you drive into a field of study and then a career, will God and His kingdom continue to receive your best efforts? The church will continue to need talented and qualified men to serve as deacons and elders, personal workers, teachers, song leaders, and preachers. The story is told of a man who wanted to be a preacher and was offered a large salary by a major oil company. He told the company, “Your price is right, but your job is too small”.
Avoid the Detours
Every generation is faced with the temptation to take short-cuts to a goal, or to trade a worthwhile goal that takes time and effort for some lesser-prize. We might call this, “the itch of the instantaneous”. In addition, along with this temptation is the temptation to grow up quickly. George Henry Lewis said, “Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed. Those who rush through their period of preparation live to regret it” (p. 44). So do not become discouraged if others are getting ahead of you academically or materially. It does take time to digest what you learn, fit it with other concepts, and then see the practical applications. “William I. Nichols, a former editor of This Week Magazine, said that when he was a boy he used to think that somewhere out ahead lay a magical moment when one would be grown up and know all the answers. Life would be easy when that point was reached. There would be no more doubts, no uncertainties, and in any given situation one would know exactly what to do” (p. 49). “Talent must be trained; desire must be disciplined” (p. 59). There is a temptation here: Some young people reach a point at which they are good at something and can earn a living and at that point they put a stop on doing anything uncomfortable. Remember, it is not enough to be “good” at some earthly task that pays well, there are many other challenges and growth opportunities as well (2 Peter 1:5-11; Ephesians 4-6).
Embrace the Unexpected
In every generation there are young people who are very afraid of the future because the future is filled with “unknowns” and experiences that are new to them. Some are paralyzed by all the unknowns, from the unknowns of a new job, to the unknowns of registering for college, or a thousand other experiences. The tendency is to worry about and dread such experiences. Instead appreciate such experiences for what they are, that is, opportunities to live your faith. I know that most people do not want to be the new person on the job, or the only person who doesn’t know the routine. We want to look “together”, we want to look knowledgeable, and we want a day that is not filled with any surprises. Yet rethink that concept for a moment: Day after day of the same thing? No surprises? No new experiences? Everything being predictable with nothing else to learn can become its own prison. God has called us to an adventure, and not a routine, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place where he was to receive---and he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). We tend to forget that the reason that each individual must walk the same road of learning and encounter the same experiences for the first time is that God is seeking to produce in us character (James 1:2-4). God is looking for people who will live their Christianity in any circumstance. Appreciate the unexpected circumstance even when you feel completely unqualified. As a Christian you might be unqualified in a particular skill, but you are never unqualified in what matters, doing the right thing, putting others first, loving your neighbor as yourself, being honest, having something wise to say, being kind and compassionate, and knowing what really matters.
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
