Campus Journal Daily Devotional for College Age and High School people

WEDNESDAY
NOVEMBER 14

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.

The Basics I came across a list of skills every young person should have mastered before leaving home. Both young men and women would benefit for life by learning how to do such basic tasks as laundry, cooking, typing with both hands, planning and following a budget, changing a tire, speaking comfortably before a small group, and reading a map. Knowing how to accomplish these tasks can take a person a long way down the road to independence and self-sufficiency—two major qualities of maturity.

Now, what about on a spiritual level? What are some basic skills of living a Christian life that young people should be learning? What should they be able to do for themselves spiritually before they go off to college or out on their own? Here are my suggestions:

Know your way around the Bible. Become familiar with the Old and New Testaments. Choose some special passages and memorize them.
Develop the confidence to pray in a group.
Learn how to tell someone about Jesus.
Understand the basic beliefs of the Christian faith: God, salvation, Jesus, the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the church, what happens after death.
Be able to pray with someone who is going through a rough time.
Attend church, and worship God throughout the service.
Get in the habit of giving to the Lord.
Learn how to tell a Bible story to children.
Be able to study a Bible passage for yourself and know what it says.
Become skilled at working through personality conflicts and differences of opinion to maintain Christian friendships.

God does not want you to remain spiritually immature and dependent. He wants you to grow in your relationship with Him so you can sustain your faith in a hostile or pressure-packed environment. He will give you all you need to live the Christian life successfully and to serve Him with confidence. —DE

REFLECTION

I would define spiritual maturity as: ____________________________
Of the above spiritual life-skills, which are my strong points? Which ones do I need to work on?
If I were the only Christian living in the midst of unbelievers, how ready would I be to live faithfully for Christ? (Examples: college dorm, military barracks, employment in another country.)

Build on the basics.