Back to School!

I know I used to hate the sound of those words! Summer is my favorite season of the year, and the return to the schedule of school and the cooler weather made me wish for the fun of summer.
The only thing I did like about the start of a new school year was just that: it was new. I love new things: new clothes, new books, a new schedule, new classes and teachers, and a chance to start over. All the bad grades, tattered notebooks, and classes I disliked from the previous year were gone; everything was brand new.
I hope you are excited about a fresh start to this school year! Commit yourself now to please the Lord this coming year with your actions, thoughts, and attitudes. When you do that, you will quickly find yourself attacked by two of Satan’s favorite lies. The first lie he likes to tell us is that just once won’t hurt anything. One lapse of your testimony, one hurtful word spoken to a classmate, one dishonest sneak peek at another student’s test— that won’t make a big difference, now will it?
When you are tempted with this lie, keep in mind Colossians 1:10. This verse speaks of the goal of the Christian life: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.” The key to this verse is the little word all. Every part of our life is to be pleasing to God; no area escapes God’s command for his children. Our goal as Christians should be to have a life that pleases God in every way.
A second lie Satan often tells us after we have fallen for the first one is that if you have failed once, it doesn’t matter anymore. If you have already gotten that first homework slip, failed that first test, fallen in your commitment to the Lord in some area, the devil would like nothing more than for us to give up.
As Christians, the Lord has promised us that he is “faithful and just” to forgive us when we confess our sin to him (1 John 1:9). The book of Proverbs reminds us that a righteous man may fall down seven times but he still gets up again (Prov 24:16). Don’t give up! The Word of God reminds us to keep on persevering in 2 Peter 3:17–18. “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Do your very best this year to the glory of God! Let us know how we can pray for you and how we can help you!