An Open Letter to Recent H.S. Grads About to Head to College for the First Time


First, greetings. I've started this blog as one of several efforts to increase the helpful teachings I can share with Christians and truth-seekers everywhere. Lord willing, I'll say more about myself and what I do in a future official introductory post. For now, I'll just post this "open letter" that I initially wrote to church members where I serve as Preaching Minister and pray it will bless someone. —JLP

AN OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTIAN YOUTH ABOUT TO HEAD OFF TO COLLEGE

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope you will hear me out as I have a few things I want to share with you as an investment in your happy and prosperous future. It won’t take more than five minutes to read this short note, so please take the time.   

You need to be warned that you may be heading for dangerous territory. I don’t want to come across as alarmist or fearful or negative, as I’m not the least bit worried about the dangerous influences you all are likely to be exposed to—there isn’t one of them I’ve not battled before. My guidance is at your disposal; all you have to do is reach out and ask. I’m confident that each of you is more than equal to face, resist, and overcome every evil influence Satan will bring your way if you set your heart on being loyal to the Lord Jesus, which means being devoted to the practice of the Faith. You also must dedicate your mind to ruthless critical thinking, which is another way of saying, be uncompromising truth-seekers. Always ask, “What’s the evidence?” and “How do you know?” Not only am I confident in you, but I’m also excited about how you all will grow over the next few years and hope you’ll come back home regularly (and then finally to stay) so we can all enjoy your fellowship as we watch you level-up your contribution to the growth and health of the church. With this in mind, I want to urge you all to SMILE. 

What I mean is to make a small but firm commitment. I’m not asking you to commit to much, only five little things. Jesus says, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10 ESV). So, committing with your heart and soul to serve Jesus faithfully in a little will open doors to strength and blessings you can’t imagine. So, as Jesus’ servant and in His name, I’m asking you all to commit to five things you can remember every time you SMILE. 

(1) Sunday is settled! Commit to going to worship services every Sunday unless you’re genuinely sick. Don’t take a job that keeps you from attending church, at least as long as you’re in college. Shut down any temptation to sleep in on even one Sunday as if it were the worst sin imaginable (Heb. 10:24–25). (2) Morality is mandatory! Commit to clean, moral, upright Christian living. Don’t have sex outside of marriage, and don’t foolishly get into situations that weaken you to temptation (Eph. 5:3). Don’t do drugs of any kind not prescribed by your doctor, and don’t start drinking alcohol. I’m not arguing it’s inherently sinful to drink; I’m just urging you to the wisdom that you’ll never have a problem if you never start. (3) Influence is powerful! Do not forget that you are very likely to have professors who, at best, are not sound in the Faith and, at worst, are enemies of God. You’ll also probably have some great ones who believe the gospel. Still, it’s almost certain you will have at least one professor who will try hard to get you to doubt your faith or accept false teaching. If not, you will have peers who will (1 Cor. 15:33). Keep your language clean, and don’t be embarrassed to make it known that you love Jesus and that everyone else should, too. (4) Lean on the Lord! I want to urge you all to take prayer and Bible study seriously and prioritize it. Give God your best and cultivate your relationship with Him. He is seeking you, and if you draw closer to Him, He has promised to draw closer to you (James 4:8). Nothing in life beats a close walk with the Lord! (5)  Finally, Education is lifelong! You’re not going to college to get an education; you already have one. Please don’t abandon the truth, you know (2 Tim. 3:14). Cling to it and build on it. Never change your mind about what your godly teachers have taught you without a solid biblical reason. And when you walk the stage, remember, it’s just the beginning of the next phase of your education. God’s knowledge is limitless. He’s always got more to show you. Commit yourself to being a lifelong student of Jesus, and all will be as well as can be. 

Image by geralt via Pixabay.

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