The real work is still to come; maintain your working faith

School will be out in Tucumcari this week and high school graduation will take place.

So first, please watch out for all the youngsters who’ll be out enjoying the extra time they have. Besides being a Christian responsibility, because we’ve been so blessed as a nation, looking out for the best interests of others is an American responsibility in honor of those who’ve given their time, not to mention in many cases, their very lives, to protect our rights and freedoms at home and abroad (Philippians 2:1-8; Matthew 20:25-28; Luke 12:48b; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14).

Many graduates will be embarking into a new stage in their lives. America is still a land of opportunity and our graduates have many choices, whether or not they stay in Tucumcari. Even the college-bound can get a start on their post-secondary education here, if not complete it, depending on their program of study (you may recall a recent Quay County Sun article stating that Mesalands Community College is New Mexico’s top community college and even had a higher point rating than the state’s top four-year college).

So, congratulations graduates. As young adults, the world is now your oyster, so to speak.

Now, while I don’t like even the smell of oysters, I do like the fine pearls they make. Without regard to your stage in life, whether you like to eat oysters or wear pearls, or both, you must understand that to benefit from the oyster’s work, you first must go and get the product of choice, although, the oyster does the harder work of getting its own food to produce edible parts and forming the pearl.

When it comes to our salvation, God does all the work, but through obedience, we first have to get into the position of allowing him to do that work (Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 2:11-12; Romans 6:3-8, 16-18; Acts 2:38-39; John 14:6; Matthew 11:28-31; 16:24).

Second, once we’ve become a Christian, we must take on and complete the work God has prepared for us to do, thereby, bringing him glory (Ephesians 2:10; John 17:1-5). Only then, after living faithfully and trying to avoid sin and seeking forgiveness when we do sin, we’ll receive the goal of our obedient faith — eternal life and rest (Revelation 2:10; 1 John 1:5-9; Hebrews 5:7-9). It doesn’t matter how short or long we’ve been a Christian; we have to maintain our working faith until the end (Matthew 20:1-16; 25:14-46).

So, graduates, go for your oyster (or whatever appropriate goals you have). Understand, though, that as hard as you thought high school was, the real work is yet to come as you put to use the knowledge you’ve gained and learn the real lessons of life. It will take more effort on your part to completely enjoy your rights and freedoms as an American and the abundant life in Jesus Christ as a Christian, both of which I hope you’ll experience. Remember, anything worth having is worth the effort to acquire it (Matthew 13:45-46; John 12:25-26; Philippians 2:12-13).

Leonard Lauriault writes about faith for the Quay County Sun. Contact him at [email protected]