As a student in school, I understand the trials and tribulations that a Christian might experience regarding their faith. Therefore, I wanted to start this blog to help me and other people remain faithful to Jesus Christ in school. I will post about different experiences that I have and will try to explain how people could respond to them, using God’s word; the Bible. So, I pray that this blog will not only bless and encourage me, but that it will also encourage other Christian students who remain faithful to Christ in school.
Exams and Challenges
It is that time of the year when the overbearing presence of exams pushes forward. This can be quite a stressful time. However, no matter how important these exams are, we still need to keep our focus on Jesus.
Exams are very significant. They alter how school works for you and can have a direct impact on your future. They are often quite difficult with a lot of time and revision needed. A lot of our time can be focused on exams and our minds can be consumed by the worry and stress that they bring.
However, this should not be the case. Exams are important, but not the most important thing. From experience, I know that exams often occupy the forefront of my mind sidelining everything else. This everything else can include Jesus; the Bible, prayer and devotion. Therefore, the exams become more important than the most important man who performed the most selfless, caring, loving deed ever.
Therefore, during these exams we need to still keep the focus on Jesus. Now, this doesn’t mean not to work hard on the exams. The two can work hand-in-hand. You can pray to Jesus to help you in you studies, in your preparation and in your actual exam. You need to recognise that to excel and perform well; you need Jesus. This reliance can get rid of your worries and anxiety as well. During exams, it is a good habit to regularly read the Bible. This can provide encouragement and a break. Jesus can help dramatically, as in many other aspects of life.
In conclusion, this exam season is a trying time for us all. Personally, my mind can be fully occupied with exams and stress. However, I need to adjust my focus; my priorities. I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and regularly ask for help. As well as that, we need to realise that however significant exams are made out to be, Jesus is more important. We need to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross and not get sidelined. We need to pray to Jesus to help us with all of our goals; exams, stress and focusing on Jesus himself. We need to trust in Jesus – that everything will eventually work out for the good of those who love Him.
Grace, compassion and partaking
Throughout history, war has consumed people’s lives. Carnage always seems to repeat itself. From the Roman conquests even before the birth of Christ, to the war against Islamic extremism today, bloodshed always seems to be apparent. When one piece of fighting ends, the next piece always seems to begin. So, how, or can, the fighting cease?
The First World War was entitled the ‘War to end all Wars’. It was predicted that this war would cease all the previous fighting and prevent future discords in the future. However, in 1919, three armistices were signed between the two sides. Germany, the ‘loser’, was made to massively demilitarise, it lost a lot of land and was made to pay millions of pound or reparations. This led to a sense of ‘unfairness’ and dissatisfaction in Germany. Then, in 1932, the Nazi party was elected into the German government on a manifesto to rebuild Germany and make it ‘great’ again, directly following the armistice. Ultimately, this resulted in an even larger, bloodier war than the First World War; the Second World War.
So, history is back to square one. There is another war. This sequence, which is like an algorithm that always results in a war, seems to always repeat itself. So, can this sequence be stopped? I think it can, but humanity needs to change drastically in order to do so. All people need to adopt grace, compassion and partaking. All of these values are taught in the Bible.
First of all, people need to use grace in their lives. Grace is when you forgive someone and give them something that they do not deserve. This is of course, exactly what Jesus did to us. Even though we sinned and didn’t deserve eternal life in paradise, Jesus gave himself to be killed so that we could be saved. If Jesus hadn’t shown us grace, we all would rot in hell. Therefore, as people we all need to show other people grace. If someone does something that you think is unfair, you should forgive them and still cooperate with them. Even though they do not necessarily deserve your forgiveness and your cooperation, you give it to them anyway. This is, of course, a small example. However, if you apply this concept of grace to larger things, it would also work. Imagine a nation offending another nation. The mistreated country, instead of attacking the other country, could show the other country grace and try to resolve the issue peacefully. This grace, of course, has to be shown by both countries, but if all countries showed grace, wars could be prevented.
Secondly, people need to show compassion. God shows all of us compassion and constantly helps us and forgives us. If someone is not doing too well in something and needs help, you should assist them to the best of your ability. In order to do this, you need to show them compassion. However, if you ignore them and leave them in their struggle, then they can become bitter and angry at them. The same things can happen between nations, leading to strifes between them. People can become indignant so easily. However, if all people showed compassion to each other, all people would be taken care of and there would be no need for more bloodshed.
Thirdly, people need to partake with each other. God shared his love with us. He constantly loves us and cares for us. He loves us so much, that he opens up his perfect kingdom to those that believe in Jesus and repent. People must also share with each other, quite similar to showing compassion. Therefore, if people need something, you should be happy to share what you have with them. Consequently, everyone will have what they need, if everybody helps each other out. So, if a country is in desperate need, another nation should be happy to help them. Therefore, a nation will not need to invade a country for resources/money. After all, a lot of countries join a small conflict when one country invades the other.
Overall, people need to read the Bible. Everything in this article originates from the teachings of the Bible. The world was not designed for war by God. Instead, we brought it upon ourselves by committing sin. However, if every single person shows grace and compassion and partakes with other people, perhaps war can be prevented.
Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, why am I talking about war on a blog that is predominately about school? Well, conflict can happen in school. Perhaps it happens on a smaller scale, but it does happen. If everyone in school did these three things, conflict can be prevented.
In conclusion, fighting and bloodshed is a terrible part of life. Sometimes, it seems like it constantly repeats itself. However, it can be prevented, but only if all of humanity changes. If every single person endeavours to show grace compassion and partakes with other people, I believe that war can be prevented.
God is always with us
Romans 8:31-32 says: “31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Have you every questioned if God is always with you to help you? Sometimes when everything seems to be going right; you are doing well at school and feel really optimistic and enthusiastic, it is easy to feel that God is with you. However, this isn’t always the case. God gives us things, but also takes away different things. Therefore, life will not always be good, but there are hard times as well. Then, how do you know if God is with you then?
Romans 8 says that God gave up his own son. This meant that he didn’t save his son, when he so easily could. In Genesis, God saves Isaac from death by providing another sacrifice. However, when it comes to the death of his son, Jesus, God doesn’t save him. The reason he lets his son die is that it was the only way to save his own people. He loves us so much that he sacrificed his one and only son, so that we can be saved from the fate of death.
Then, if God did such an awesome feat for us, God is definitely “for us”. Therefore, we have absolutely nothing to fear. If God did such a great thing for us, he must care for us very dearly. Consequently, he would not abandon us and leave us by ourselves. God is always with us; he saved us and will remain with us. Therefore, we can be confident that God will assist us through the good and the bad and that God will be with us even after death, if we believe that Jesus died for our sins. God is with us due to the Gospel.
Now that we know that God is with us, we have nothing to fear or worry about. When life gets stressful and confusing, when exams are coming up and when people are cruel and ghastly, you can take great comfort in that God cares for you so much, that he didn’t spare his own son to save you and that he will always be with you. As we start 2018, go in with a positive attitude knowing that you have an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-caring God that is always with you.
The only way to heaven
John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
A lot of the time in school and around the place, I hear the phrase that Christians will go to their heaven, Muslims will go to their heaven and so on. Basically, if God exists, all religions are true and there are many different ways to go to heaven. This then works with being tolerant of other people’s religions and not telling them that if they do not believe and repent, they will go to hell. However, as Christians we should warn people (in a nice way) that those who do not believe in Jesus and have not repented are going to hell. The Bible says so.
As well as that, John 14:6 says that no one will go to heaven except through Jesus. Therefore, there is only one way to heaven. To think otherwise, would be to deny Jesus and the gospel. Therefore, these ideas that all religions are right and are just separate is wrong and doesn’t go alongside what the Bible says. So telling other people that all religions work together and are the same is telling them a lie about how people go to heaven.
Therefore, these things that happen like ‘inter-faith’ prayers between Christians and Muslims are crazy. There is only one God and one way to heaven; Jesus. Christianity is not Islam and Islam is not Christianity. You cannot go to heaven through Jesus or through Allah. It is only Jesus and there is only one God. Therefore, you can only pray to one God and there cannot be any ‘inter-faith’ prayers. There is only one Gospel, one Saviour and one God. Only through Jesus, can sinners like you and I go to heaven.
Following Christ at School 