Baccalaureate Message

AS YOU START LIFE ON YOUR OWN - TWO THINGS:

#1. NOTHING IS FAIR:

· Everyone is not treated the same.

· You must work at everything in order to achieve.

1. Your job.

2. Your relationships.

3. Your Faith.

*There are no atheist in foxholes.

* Seek a relationship w/God.

Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Life is what happens between goals:

Many of you will reach wonderful goals in your life….

College graduation, marriage, Great Job, fame, wealth, etc.

I,m not a doom and gloom guy. If anything, I’ve gotten myself in trouble for joking too much. I truly hope that each of you gets the very best life has to offer. However; You also deserve the truth.

Truth is some of you won’t achieve anything. Whether sooner or later all of you will face hard – times and perhaps hard pounding tradgedy.

I spoke to a young man once and he was talking about his future plans for college and I asked: What then? Marriage. What then? Life...

WHAT THEN? GOOD QUESTION HE SAID.

When you don’t get the college or job you wanted. What then?

When you lose the one you love the most What then?

When you lose your next breath. What then???? (1)

I graduated from a class of less than 100 students. The day after graduation, the class was smaller by 3.

The Bible says, “your life is like a vapor…”

#2. THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH.

CONCERNING WORK AND CAREERS:

If you don’t work to achieve, you will not receive.

Learn how to be a self – starter. You will get to your goals much sooner. If you need a kick in the pants to get out the door in the morning, don’t expect to achieve much in life.

There are a very few true gifts in life. They always come from people who love you in the purest sense of the word. Everything else given to you is a “favor”.

Repayment of a favor can be expensive. Remember Tom Cruise in the movie “THE FIRM”? Know who your true friends are.

CONCERNING LOVE AND LIFE:

THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH HERE EITHER.

There are three kinds of love:

Eros, Philao, Agape’

Most of you are familiar with the first…….

Prov 27:17

17 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

(NKJ) (2)

The Bible says that if want to have a good friend, you must be a good friend. In order to be good a anything you must love it with all your heart.

Music, sports, Being a friend especially---------- or lover.

You need to hear what I say next if you want any chance at a reasonably happy life:

THERE IS N0 FREE LUNCH ESPECIALLY IN LOVE.

YOU GET OUT OF LOVE WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.

When the honey moon is over, LOVE TAKES WORK TO MAKE IT REALLY GREAT!

In the same way working in the garden produces beautiful and tastey fruits and vegetables or beautiful flowers, work in your relationship with your husband or wife.

Now even more important than that, HEAR THIS!

IF YOU DON’T LOVE THEM ENOUGH TO COMMIT YOURSELF TO THEM IN MARRIAGE:

DON’T TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU ARE IN LOVE.

True love starts with trust…..How can you truly love someone who won’t fully commit themselves to you alone for life?

In closing you need to know the most important thing of all!

THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH WITH GOD; EXCEPT forTHE GIFT OF SALVATION. ANSWERS TO PRAYER AND THE BLESSINGS OF LIFE ARE ALL CONDITIONAL.

(4)

Rom 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(NIV)

Eph 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

(NIV)

The Bible says you can’t earn salvation. But you must earn every thing else.

IF HE IS NOT LORD OF ALL, HE IS NOT LORD AT ALL.

I think this is best illustrated in the family relationship.

When you were born into your family, for the rest of your life you will always have the same mother and father. For better or worse.

What you receive from them will largely depend on how you obey them. If you are loving, kind, and obedient you can expect to receive the best they can possibily give.

However, if you are unloving, rude, and rebellious you can expect to receive grief in return along with restrictions.

God is no different. Accepting your repentance and faith He will bring you into His family at no cost to you except your pride.