Don't Waste Your Education

The school year will soon be over with. Students from all across the country will be graduating from high school, colleges, universities, etc. Students that have just graduated from high school will be soon entering the next phase of their lives. Some students will be headed to college or a university to obtain a four year degree, others will be headed to vocational school to learn some type of trade to acquire a particular job skill. Some students will head straight into the work force looking for a job in this recession-strapped economy. Whatever field or endeavor these students are looking to engage in, this is a very serious time in the lives of these graduates. They will be making some life-changing choices within the next few months. Many college graduates that have received bachelors and masters degrees will be entering into a bleak job market. Many graduates will have to take a job that doesn't match the degree they've earned. I want to take this time to say to the graduates congratulations for a job well done.

I'm going to gear this particular post to the high school and college graduates that are saved or professing Christians. Those graduates that are saved and are in Christ know the most important thing in life is to know the Lord and glorify Him in all things. Whatever field that you might pursue your responsibility is to glorify God through your occupation. People that we work with should see Jesus in our lives. Many of you have spent thirteen years working to obtain your high school diploma. Others have went on and pursued degrees in higher education. Whatever level of education you've obtained, don't waste the education that you've received. You should use your education for the glory of God. I'm reminded about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 in which the master gave three men talents and the one man that was given one talent took it and buried it. As a result, the master took that talent and gave it to the man that was the most fruitful with it . We have a serious responsibility to use what God's given to us.

I have two scriptures I'm going to share with you. II Timothy 2:15-16 says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (Ephesians 4:1) "I THEREFORE, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." God gives gifts to everyone on earth. Everybody possesses some form of talent. God's purpose for distributing talent to mankind is so that he will one day become saved and use that talent to serve the Lord with. We're to use the talents to serve the Lord not only in the House of God, but in the workforce as well. It's not coincidental that everybody doesn't possess the same interests or talents. Everybody's unique. God has it that way for a reason. Just imagine what life would be like if the only abilities everybody had were in the academic realm and the only type of profession that had workers was the teaching profession. The teaching profession is monumentally important. However, we also have other professions in society that have a need for workers such as the business world, for example. God's gifted people so they can find a vocation which matches their talents and use it to serve the Lord in the job market. God's given people talent to serve in a variety of professions such as the medical field, construction, plumbers, electricians, high technology, the military, the law profession, and the list continues. Whatever field matches your talent, give your very best in that particular field. Perform that job with all your might. We should strive for excellency in the work force. Teachers try to encourage students to excel in academic while in school. When we find a job in the labor force, we should perform it with all our might.

Education doesn't end when we leave high school or college. We always have a need to read to learn new things so we can improve ourselves to make ourselves a greater asset in the workforce and church. Whatever level of education that you've received, don't waste it. Use that education to serve the Lord with it. We should savor opportunities for further learning so we be everything we need to be for the cause of Christ. God says a lot in scripture about business and our work ethic. There's also scriptures about the sluggard. God doesn't have any use for slothfulness. Slothfulness is a poor testimony for a Christian in the workforce.

I need to make a comment concerning women using their education. There are many women that have graduated from college with honors that have made the decision once they are married and bear children, they will quit their jobs so they can stay home to raise their children. There's not a more nobler calling than for a mother to choose to stay home to raise her children. I've heard of many cases where women have felt belittled because they chose to stay home to raise their children than to use their degrees for a high-profile position in a Fortune 500 company, for example. Many mothers have been made to feel that staying home to raise their family is a waste of their education. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Those children they bring into the world will need to be educated. They can put their education into use by teaching their children. Also, there have been numerous stay-at-home mothers that have involved themselves in tutoring students with academic deficiencies. Some stay-at-home mothers have home businesses. There are ways a stay-at-home mother can use her education without working in the labor force. The education they received while in college can be an asset to their children in the future.

I pray and wish the best for all those high school and college graduates. The most important responsibility you have is to glorify God. Use your education to serve and glorify the Lord. There have been some fundamental churches that place a high emphasis on external separation that have not placed the proper emphasis on educating the children in their respective churches. There's nothing spiritual about being ignorant. If the only thing you know is the Bible, then you'll be limited on the type of people you can reach for Christ with a lack of education. First of all, I'm not belittling the importance of reading and knowing your Bible. The Holy Bible is the most important book of all. We should study to show ourselves approved and thoroughly furnished. A child of God doesn't help their cause if they're not versed in scripture. However, a child of God doesn't help their cause if they aren't educated in other areas in life. You will have a difficult time in landing a job if you don't possess some form of training or education. It's a great testimony for a Christian to be well-educated in a broad spectrum. You can't place a premium on it. Education should be a lifelong process. There's always something we can learn in life. Don't waste what you've acquired throughout your educational history. Use that education to be an influence on somebody's life. Use it for the glory of God!