College life is the catalyst for getting out of the mud. Study something you love and you will quickly see the palace ahead of you. And, others will see the palace through you. Obviously, God wants us to remember that we live for him through our occupation. Studying doesn't replace our walk with Christ, but it accentuates it. I said this in an earlier blog, but it applies here as well. We need to start living our lives as if Jesus was living it. We don't need to move it Israel and become Jewish! We need to allow God to reveal his plan for us, and then as we live it out ask how Jesus would live it.
Now, how to go about these different aspects of your day to day living becomes a different beast altogether! One the one hand, I have been in the educational machine for quite awhile and instinctually fall back into a humdrum slave routine. As Paul says, or what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Here, I would press that half-hearted studying becomes sinful. On the other hand, it is my job to account that, it is Thanks be to God! That I have a Lord who rescues me. I fail all day long, yet I am made new every day.
What if each of us woke up knowing that we were made a new creation; that after we have repented our sins we were totally washed clean, and had a new attempt at it. I know this is ambitious, and unattainable. But, for my part, I open myself up for Christ's presence in my heart, so that he may wash me clean... again!
I really like your point on trying harder to attain the fruits of the spirits as if we could. I believe it is clear through out all of scripture that we can not obtain such things, but it is also clear in scripture that through the spirit of God we can. I believe this would be a good though to have in our heads "I can not do anything, but I serve a God can do everything. Lucky for me, I have his spirit dwelling in me, therefor, through him, I can do all things."
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