Both Emily and I had difficult times writing speeches for today. From this time last year, as we watched the Class of 2007 receive their diplomas, we dreaded our own graduation, for we had no idea what we should say at it. We wanted to speak about something meaningful but not cheesy, applicable but not overdone. For weeks we pondered the infinite realm of topics but could not find anything that felt right. Finally, Emily thought of something very simple, but very suitable- what could be better to discuss than the foundation of this school, the Lord Jesus Christ.
SSCA is grounded in and centered upon the Lord. Throughout my time here, each teacher and staff member has displayed a life devoted to Christ. They ensured that each student firmly understands the truth of Scripture, and more importantly, they taught us through both their counsel and their example how we can live to serve God. Everyone graduating today has been privileged and blessed to have this opportunity for encouragement and instruction, so that we may better follow the Lord in our own lives.
However, merely learning how to follow the Lord has little lasting benefit. What we do with that knowledge is far more important. Many of us know a parable that Jesus told about a wise man who built his house on a rock. Throughout storms and floods and winds, his house remained secure, for it was built on a firm foundation. Another man built his house on sandy ground, without a foundation. At the first sign of water, his house collapsed and crashed to the ground, for it had nothing to stand upon. I have known this story for years, but until recently I did not notice whom Jesus was really talking about through it.
When Christ describes the man who built his house on a firm foundation, he is not speaking of those who are “good people;” he is not even speaking of Christians, those who claim to know him as Lord. The man who remains secure is he who hears the word of Christ and follows it. Likewise, the man whose house crumbles does not represent those whom we view as horrible sinners, but those who hear Christ’s word, and know it, but do not follow it. Not only will these people lose what they build; Christ says that “the ruin of that house is great.”
Everyone graduating today knows how to act like a perfect Christian. We can do all the right things and give all the right answers. But does that really matter? We are leaving this school, our parents, and our churches. As we go on to college, few people will care that we know how to behave like proper Christians. What others will notice is if we have taken all that we have learned and made it a part of who we are.
God is asking each of us to serve him with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, and all of our strength. He has given each of us different abilities and desires, that we may use them to glorify him. The years that we will spend in college are not meant to be used as playtime while we wait for real life to start. If we are willing to allow God to use us, the next four years can be a time of radical, life-changing experiences. In Jeremiah 1:7, the Lord says, “Do not say I am only a youth, for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.” God wants to use these years to do mighty things in us and through us.
As we leave this school, and travel from the watchful eyes of our parents and teachers, I encourage my classmates to devote their lives to God, and to use all they have for his glory. For as it says in Isaiah 7:9, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”