Here's my list of things I want to work on here this summer, so I'm ready for a new year at Tech. Most of these are just habitual flaws I have acquired over the past year or two, but all of them I think will help bring me back in sight of my faith, or at least make me a stronger person. As I write this list, I plan on finding scripture references to back up what I'm saying. Because I have a feeling that everything I'm going for here can be done... and when done, will honor God in turn.
1. Watch What You Say
I never had problems with this much before, but for some reason, as I hang out with my friends more and more, I've picked up on some bad habits of using curse words occasionally. Now, when I say I have a bad habit, generally its not half as bad as most people I know, but its still something I feel is useless altogether and I should steer away from this habit. Its not like I have a chronic cussing problem; I just find myself slipping more and more.
* keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. - Psalm 34:13
* If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. - James 1:26
* May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. - Psalm 19:14
Maybe it was just the environment I spent the last 4 months that made it easy for me to let down my guard and start picking up on the habit of using curse words more often. Maybe being back home in Vinton, back in the heart of the Bible Belt, will help return to the way things used to be. Either way, using these words is pointless... it does nothing to honor God and is tasteless and tacky. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
2. Be careful how you portray yourself.
I love my friends, despite what some of them might do in their free time. Just because I might be hanging out in a group where the topic of conversation is something like sex, drugs, or alcohol, I don't need to chime in an contribute to the conversation. Doing this makes it look as if I know from experience what I'm talking about and portrays me as if I would participate in this sort of thing. If I have decided not to participate in these sort of actions (having sex before marriage, doing drugs, or drinking in excess, etc), why would I find it appropriate to make myself seem as though I do these sort of things or even portray myself as knowledgeable in these areas.
* Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 20:7
* The man of integrity walks securely, be he who takes crooked paths will be found out. - Proverbs 10:9
* May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. - Psalm 19:14
That verse from Pslams seems to be pretty important. Consecrate: set yourself apart. Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't mean that you have to as well... set an example by the way you live your life... set yourself apart. People will notice when you live with integrity. They'll also notice when you stop acting with integrity and when you try to start back up again.
3. Its not all about you... and Don't complain.
Sometimes I find myself forcing my way into conversations that I have nothing of real importance to add to. Though I may make some strange connection in my head to something that was said, I don't need to share this with everyone else so that they all know every detail of my past.
* My dear brothers, take note of this: Eveyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry - James 1:19
Everything is not about you... take the time to pay attention to others and listen to what they have to say without your own input.
Also related to this, a lot of my friends will complain about various aspects of their lives and I have found myself at times since I've been at college complaining more and more. I'm generally a very happy person and consider myself to have been blessed with such a good life. I have no reason to complain about things... and complaining just puts people you're around in a bad mood too.
* In Exodus 18:13-26, Moses was spending so much time and energy hearing the Hewbrews' complaints that he couldn't get to other important work.
* Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out thewords of life -- in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. - Philippians 2:14-16
Complaining gives a false impression of Christ and the gospel. It wastes time and energy and like I said before brings everyone's attitudes down so that they aren't as joyful and excited about life as they were before. By avoiding complaining, you can be a light to others... someone that others can look to for happiness!
4. Take Care of your Body
I don't see myself as 'fat'... quite frankly I'm fairly happy with my body and health as it is. However, I can tell that if I continue on with life as I currently treat my body, its not going to last me as long. I don't eat very healthily and until this semester at GE, I didn't work out or do all that much physical activity really...
* Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Anyway, this summer I want to start working out every other day. I started a good workout plan the last couple weeks I was at GE and I want to continue with that. Also, being back at school will help me eat better... and not overeat. I was eating out a lot at the end of my co-op and I eat a large amount when I'm at home too... so being back at school at a la carte dining centers will be good for me again.
5. Be a Role Model
This fall I will be a rank captain in the Marching Virginians and so I want to make sure that I am a good leader and a good role model for the people who I will be put in charge of who are in my rank. I don't want to drink seeing as I'm under 21. But once I turn 21, I also will not supply alcohol to unders. Being a good role model depends on a lot of what I've already touched on in items 1-4.
* Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you... And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show pariality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgement belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. - Deuteronomy 1:13-17.
Here, Moses identified some of the inner qualities of a good leader: wisdom, understanding, and respect. These characteristics differ greatly from the ones that often elect leaders today: good looks, wealth, popularity, willingness to do anything to get to the top. The qualities Moses identified should be evident in us as we lead, and we should look for them in those we elect to positions of leadership.
* Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate... - Nehemiah 3:1
The high priest is the first person mentioned who pitched in and helped with the work. Leaders must lead not only by word, but also by action.
* Then I said, "Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice, you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people's flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?" Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done. - Micah 3:1-4
Micah denounces the sins of the leaders, priests and prophets-who should have known the law and taught it to the people. They had ignored the law and become the worst of sinners... they were taking advantage of the very people they were supposed to serve. All sin is bad, but the sin that leads others astray is the worst of all. The leaders had no compassion or respet for those they were supposed to serve. They were treating the poeple miserably in order to satisfy their own desires, and then they had the gall to ask for God's help when they found themselves in trouble.
It would be very easy for me to give in and drink with my friends, but I know that I can have a great time with my friends without getting trashed every weekend. I know that when I was a freshman it meant a lot to have someone older there in the horn section who wasn't drinking. (Robbie Bauer was that to me... he wasn't my rank captain, but my MV Ami) And I hope to be in that position for someone else who may be entering the horn section, the MVs, or VT in general this fall.
6. Be Careful in your relationships.
This time last month, I could honestly say that I'd never had a real relationship (I'm not talking friendships here... more like boyfriend-girlfriend types of stuff). But during the last couple of weeks at my co-op, something did spark up between me and one of my friends there (who happens to be from Tech and will be in my classes come next spring semester). I don't regret anything I did or anything that happened, but things moved a lot faster between us than I had expected. Some of this could have been because there was unofficially something going on between us ever since early February, but neither of us had ever really acted on that except for casual flirting. But because I'd never been in this position before, things moved so fast that I didn't have time to process what was going on and slow things down... Like I said though, I didn't do anything I regret, but I need to take this to memory so in the future I can be aware of the progressions so I can keep things from moving too fast. (Bare with me while I tangent for a moment...) Herein lies a dilemma... I have a lot of guy friends... I tend to get along with them better than girls. In addition, most of my friends are not Christians. For some reason, I've never really hit it off as well with Christians as I have other people. Because of that, people I'm friends with have a different standard of 'how far is too far' than I do so this is an added challenge for me as well.
* "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery wiht her in his heart." - Matthew 5:27-28.
* Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? - 2 Corinthians 6:14
* ...If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with he, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace - 1 Corinthians 7:12-15
First of all, adultery is not just a physical act. Rather, adultery can be committed through lustful thoughts. As I mentioned in one of the previous points it is a sin to play a part in causing someone else to sin. Therefore, if your actions cause someone else to have lustful thoughts, then you have sinned as well. Therefore, in a relationship, you should be aware of your actions and not do anything that would cause the other individual to lust.
The next two references I've listed directly refer to marriage, but I figured I'd include them since dating is just a step towards marriage; you date people to figure out who it is you want to marry in the future. The verse from 2 Corinthians is one I had seen many times before. Paul urges believers not to form binding relationships with nonbelievers, because this might weaken their Christian commitment, integrity or standards... it would be a mismatch. (as a sidenote: In fact even having these binding relationships with other believers who are at significantly different points in their walk with God can be detrimental as well) This doesn't mean that we should isolate ourselves from nonbelievers. Believers should be active in their witness for Christ to non-believers, but they shouldn't lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise the faith. Believers should do everything in their power to avoid situations that could force them to divide their loyalties.
On the otherhand, I've quoted a passage from 1 Corinthians I've never noticed before. In this passage, Paul says that believers should not leave their non-believing partners. Some people in the Corinthian church believed that they ought to divorce their 'pagan' spouces and marry Christians. But Paul affirmed the marriage commitment. God's ideal is for marriages to stay together -- even when one spouse is not a believer. The Christian spouse should try to win the other to Christ. It would be easy to rationalize leaving; however, Paul makes a strong case for staying with the unbelieving spouse and being a positive influence on the marriage. God views the marriage as 'sanctified' due to the presence of one Christian spouse. The other does not receive salvation automatically, but is helped by this relationship. Also, even though marriage is intended to be permanent, if the unbelieving spouse insisted on leaving, Paul said for the Christian to try to get along with the other one but let the other go if nothing can be done. The only alternative is for the Christian to deny his or her faith to preserve the marriage and that would be worse than dissolving the marriage. This almost seems to contradict the previous passage from 2 Corinthians... I think that this one might be intended for cases where one spouse has become a Christian since the couple was wed. However, it might be open to include other instances. I'm not trying to find holes in the rules by any means; rather I'm just trying to find meaning to things in my own life. I don't have anything else to say on this matter, rather than I find matters a little gray... seeing as there's only really one strong Christian guy I'm fairly good friends with.
Anyway, I know this list was long and kinda detailed, but its something I've been meaning to put together for a while. I think that the summer is a really good time to work on these things since I'll be back at school in somewhat of the routine I'll be keeping during the normal school year, but with less people and less reason to falter I think. Kinda like a warm-up run for the regular school-year.
1 John 3:7-10