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But Continue Thou…

2 Timothy 3:14

 

 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.”

 

You've come a long way, and there's still a ways to go!

 

·       You have been in school now for 3380 days.

·       You have spent 27000 hours in classes.

·       That translates into 1,622,600 minutes.

·       So far you’ve lived approximately 18 years.

·       You’ve been around 216 months.

·       You have been breathing over 929 weeks.

·       You’ve been going through the motions for 6,552 days

·       You’ve been here 157,248 hours.

·       You’ve been taking up space 9,434,880 minutes.

·       You’ve slept 52,500 hours.

·       You’ve watched T.V. 12,173 hours.

·       You’ve spent 7,488 hours eating.

(Mostly pizza!)

If you live the average life span of 70 years, or as the

Bible says 3 score and 10, You’ll...

·       SLEEP ............24 YEARS

·       WORK  ............14 YEARS

·       PLAY  ............ 8 YEARS

·       EAT   ............ 6 YEARS

·       DRIVE .............5 YEARS

·       TALK  .............4 YEARS

·       GO TO SCHOOL.. ....3 YEARS

·       SICK  .............3 YEARS

·       STUDY & READ.......3 YEARS

·       YOU WERE BORN in the early 2000s

YOU WERE WRINKLED, RED, BALD, TOOTHLESS, COULDN’T HARDLY SEE, CRYING, COMPLAINING, AND HAD NO CLOTHES ON.

Well, you’ve come a long way, baby!  You’ve reached a milestone.  But this is not the end…it’s really just the beginning!  You’ve come to the end of a big episode, but just before the credits roll, across the screen flashes the words:  “To be continued!”

Perhaps it’s off to work or college…

 

Joe: “My college really turned out some great men.”
Bill: “When did you graduate?”
Joe: “I didn’t graduate. I got turned out.”

 

Graduates, you’ve turned out alright…you’ve turned out great...so far!  You are right at the age when most young people make the big decisions...the ones which determine success or failure!

 

You’ve learned a lot from many teachers, including your parents who God gave you…and your parents learned so much too…including how to make Budweiser [send him to a good school!]  And you learned many things, like how to make antifreeze [hide her nightgown!]

 

You’re older and wiser…

Like the kid who walked up to his teacher’s desk, holding a report card with a big red F.  He said, "If I were you I would change this while you still can."
"Why is that?" asked the teacher.
"Because my dad told me that if I brought home one more failing report card, someone was going to get a beating."

 

You’ve become role models for many of the younger ones who look up to you…you’ve become a teacher yourself!  You should recognize the power of your influence and step up to the plate of leadership, by always being a learner and continuing to look for wisdom.

 

John Adams said, “There are two types of education: One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live.”

 

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF COURSES IN LIFE -

REQUIRED COURSES AND ELECTIVES

I.      REQUIRED COURSES.

 

1. LIFE - YOU GOT NO CHOICE - WHERE - WHEN - WHO PARENTS

 

2. DEATH - “IN ADAM ALL DIE” (I Cor.15:22)

•   “IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MAN ONCE TO DIE” (Hebrews)

 

3. JUDGMENT - “AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT.”

A.        JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST. (II Cor.5:17)

B. GREAT WHITE THRONE. (Rev. 20:14,15)

 

II.    ELECTIVE COURSES.

 

1. TO BE SAVED OR TO BE LOST.

“Nature forms us. Sin deforms us. School informs us, but only Christ transforms us.”

 

2. TO BE SPIRITUAL OR CARNAL.

 

3. TO BE SCRIPTUAL OR LOGICAL.  (HUMANISM)

 

4. TO BE SAFE IN GOD’S WILL OR WALK IN YOUR OWN WILL.

 

But continue thou in the things thou hast learned!  Go the distance…stay the course, fight the good fight, finish the race!

 

Stand, even if you have to stand alone: 

 

There was a test conducted by a university where 10 students were placed in a room. Three lines of varying length were drawn on a card. The students were told to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the longest line. But 9 of the students had been instructed beforehand to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the second longest line. One student was set up as the stooge. The usual reaction of the stooge was to put his hand up, look around, and realizing he was all alone, pull it back down. This happened 75% of the time, with students from grade school through high school. The researchers concluded that many would rather stand with the majority than risk being right and alone. Now is the time when you will have to face some of your fears squarely with a firm confidence in God. Never, ever, take your cues from the crowd.
 

Be honest:  A rancher asked a veterinarian for some free advice. "I have a horse that walks normally sometimes and limps sometimes. What shall I do?" The veterinarian replied, "The next time he walks normally, sell him."

Dishonesty is the norm today. It takes courage to be honest on a resume or to not cheat on an exam or to be fair in a business.  God is watching!

There will be times in your life when you have less than you want.  Make sure you still have integrity!

 

You have faith, right?  But what in?  Because your faith is only as good as its object.  You are about to be tempted in life to have faith in yourself.  You'll be tempted in life to put faith into others, the government, and others who will let you down.  Only faith in Christ as the object will make you truly successful.

 

If you’re in the middle of nowhere and have no idea where you are, for example, the first thing we must always do when trying to find our direction is identifying which way is North. Once we know where true north is, we can navigate from there.


...On day six of the ill-fated mission of Apollo 13, the astronauts needed to make a critical course correction. If they failed, they might never return to Earth. To conserve power, they shut down the onboard computer that steered the craft. Yet the astronauts needed to conduct a thirty-nine-second burn of the main engines. How to steer? Astronaut Jim Lovell determined that if they could keep a fixed point in space in view through their tiny window, they could steer the craft manually. That focal point turned out to be their destination--Earth. As shown in 1995’s hit movie, Apollo 13, for thirty-nine agonizing seconds, Lovell focused on keeping the earth in view. By not losing sight of that reference point, the three astronauts avoided disaster. Scripture reminds us that to finish your life mission successfully, "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2).

Application: For Christians our reference point is Jesus Christ. You can be flexible on many things in life, and you should be. But when it comes to the True North of the Savior and His teachings as a reference point, don’t budge.

 

You've come a long way, and there's still a ways to go.  But continue thou in the things thou hast learned!

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