This week I sat down and wrote out a simplified version of what I said in my presentation. I'll make some copies to take to them this coming Sunday afternoon when I go for my next Bible study with them, but I decided to put my newly-written, as yet unedited, version here on my blog as well.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR A.U.G.
DEGREE?
By Jo Ann Rhodes
II Timothy 2:15
Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to
be ashamed (New
International Version)
(The King James Version puts it this way: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed)
This verse tells us about a graduation of sorts. Just what is “graduation?” We usually think of it mainly in terms of
completion of a course of study, but it can also apply to any situation in
which we are ready to move on to a new level of life or experience, whether it
is school or work-related. In either
case, it is a matter of being ready to move on to the next level.
What are the requirements of graduation, as for graduating
from high school? According to the state
Department of Education, two main requirements are: 1) completing certain
courses of study, and 2) passing an examination that proves that you have adequately
learned the lessons you have studied.
There are several ways in which this study and graduation
are very similar to our spiritual lives as well. Our entire life is our course of study for
our “graduation” to the “next level” of life, our eternal destiny, heaven for
those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as their Savior. As God’s children, we are working on our
A.U.G. degree! 2 Timothy 2:15 tells
us we are to study to show ourselves “APPROVED UNTO GOD.”
The word “study” in this verse means to “do your best”, “be
diligent.” Note that this verse does not
say that we are to study in order to be approved by God! It is not the studying that gives us
salvation. “He saved us, not because of righteous things
we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:5) No, our studying is living a life that honors
God. Our course of study for our
graduation to heaven is our life experiences.
Each time we have an experience where we learn another step in loving
God or trusting Him, or entrusting our lives and concerns into His hands, it’s
like taking another course in that subject.
What are the courses that are requirements for
graduation? Here again, we see a
beautiful parallel between studying for graduation from high school and our
spiritual study in preparation for what lies beyond this life on earth. We can learn some valuable lessons for our
spiritual “study” by looking at the course requirements from the Department of
Education.
ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS
By studying God’s literature (the
Bible), we learn what pleases God and that in turn equips us for living our
lives in a way that pleases God.
All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so
that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work. ~ I
Tim.3:16-17
MATHEMATICS
God uses this short life on earth to help us prepare for
eternity.
Teach us to number our days, that we may
gain a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12
SCIENCE
God, who created
the vast universe as well as this earth and all of us, loves us as
individuals and cares for us, and provided a
way of salvation from our sins.
When I consider your heavens, the work of
your fingers, the moon and the stars, which
you have set in place, what is mankind that you
are mindful of them, human beings
that you care for them? ~ Psalm 8:3-4
HISTORY
God never changes so what we learn of
Him from the Bible, which was written hundreds of years ago, is still true
today.
Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8
ECONOMICS
The most important thing we do during our
lives on earth is to put into our heavenly savings account by remembering that
our most important investments are spiritual investments.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moths and vermin destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. But
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where moths and vermin do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also. ~ Matt.
6:19-21
GOVERNMENT/CIVICS
It is our responsibility to support our authorities in
prayer and honesty, whether or not we agree with them.
I urge, then, first of
all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving
be made
for all people— for
kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and
quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior.
~ 1 Timothy
2:1-2
Give back to Caesar what
is Caesar’s, and to God what is
God’s. ~ Matt. 22:21
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Do you not know that in a
race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in
such a way as to get the
prize. Everyone
who competes in the games goes into strict
training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that
will last forever. ~ 1 Corinthians
9:24-25
Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing
our eyes on Jesus. ~ Heb. 12:1-2
We are to study, i.e., do our best,
be diligent, and work hard to learn what God wants us to learn during our
lifetime. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that if we do that, when we “graduate” and stand
before God we will not be ashamed. We
will not be ashamed because we will have trusted in Jesus for our forgiveness
of sin and our salvation, and we will not be ashamed because we will have
studied our courses diligently so God could teach us during our time here on
earth. We will have our A.U.G. degree!
No comments:
Post a Comment