10 things i learned in college...part 2

6) Silence is sometimes the best policy.

So often I try to find the perfect words to say. I want to sound intelligent or understanding or wise. But so often words end up being a bunch of white noise. I was about to have a difficult conversation with a friend of mine and I honestly did not know what to say, so I prayed. I asked the Lord to be my mouth and to speak for me, because I did not know what to say. When I got on the phone with my friend, the situation resolved itself. My friend did most of the talking. And I stayed silent. I truly believe that the Lord closed my mouth, like He did with the lions in Daniel. And because He closed my mouth, where I would normally talk and talk, my friend ended up saying a lot of things that resolved the entire conflict. By the end of the conversation, I understood how important silence was. So when in doubt, or even when we think we've got things covered, we should pray. Stay silent, and ask Him to be our words and our mouth.

7) Above all, the most important thing is the gospel.

Denominations, personality differences, different (and unfortunately, sometimes competing) ministries. Is the gospel being preached? Then rejoice! Often, we have a tendency to draw out the differences between different churches and christian ministries. But ultimately, we are all the church. One church. The church is just the body of Christ. We are not different churches with different goals. We are the body of Christ, which is the Church, and we have one goal. One mission. And that is that the gospel would be preached to all the nations. So we should not pick apart other ministries but rejoice in the fact that they are going towards the same goal we are. Sharing the gospel with the world. And in this, incredible unity is found.

8) "Cursed is the one who can't abide."

I'm going to steal this from a shane and shane song because I can't think of a better way to put it. Satan will keep telling us when we screw up that "Cursed is the one who can't abide." And the funny thing is, he's right. We sin, and therefore, we are cursed. We cannot, out of our efforts, abide. But the incredible thing is that Satan left out the best part. Jesus saves! We cannot abide in and of ourselves. And so, Christ saved us!

"Could the father of lies, be telling the truth, of God to me tonight? If the penalty of sin is death, then death is mine. I hear him saying, "Cursed are the ones who can't abide". He's right. Alleluia! He's right! The devil is preaching the song of the redeemed. That I am cursed and gone astray. I cannot gain salvation. Oh the devil's singing over me an age old song that I am cursed and gone astray. Singing the first verse so conveniently over me. He's forgotten the refrain! Jesus Saves!

He's redeemed us from the curse of the law....Jesus Saves!"
(Embracing Accusations by Shane and Shane)

9) The Lord's will does not have to be a mystery. He has given it to us in His Word. This is it: Obey His Word. Seek Him. Trust Him. And when you screw up, get back up and focus on Him again. Speak His Word to the nations. Look forward to eternity with Him. Run the race.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:18-20)

10) Tomorrow will be better. Today might be so bad that it seems like nothing will ever be okay again. That today is the end of your life. But it isn't. There is always tomorrow. And if tomorrow isn't better, there's always the next day. We have a very focused view. We can't see the big picture. But this horrible day is building and shaping the person that you will be in the days to come. So take it in stride. And let the Lord use it to shape you for the better. Learn from it, and keep truckin. He's right here with you.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).