5. What's In Your Wallet?: Finding True Treasure

What is your treasure in life? Is it your friends? Your boyfriend or friend? Your possessions? or your money? Jesus says that there are only two things that will be going to heaven with you. First, God's Word, and second, His people. Just those two things are going to last forever. I personally have been struggling with what comes first in my life. Trying to fit that extra little thing over my ultimate responsibility to God. 

Your heart is with your treasure. Your treasure is with your heart. What you love most becomes treasure to you. What you treasure most becomes what you love. Those two are inseparable. Instead of building up our earthly status, Matthew 6:20-21 tells us to "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". 

When it's all said and done, you're going to go with your treasure. Your treasure serves as your "default mind-set. When the sun goes down and you've come to the end of another day and you lay your head on a pillow, you think, I've got my treasure taken care of, because it's got my heart. Don't let yourself get carried away with the things of this world. Start investing yourself in others, through Christ, and make disciples for Him. If you invest your time wisely, and make the right decisions, that market will never "crash" or go into "recession", nor will it cease to amaze you. 

4. Expanding Horizons

Since I've been here at MC, I've met a lot of people. Not just a lot of people, but a lot of different kinds of people. People that have traveled very far just to come here to Mississippi College. I believe that their diversity is an important part of our student body. But what is the meaning of "diversity"?

Diversity is defined as "the state of being different; variety; multiformity; a point of difference". It is a word that challenges each of us to free ourselves from those miserable prejudices that enslave us. Except for occasional glimpses of light, Christians, like others, have been imprisoned by those traditions that enable us to “pass on the other side” in our obligation to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But instead of "passing on the other side", could we actually learn something from eachother? How?

Here's a suggestion. We should view our fellow students’ potential with objectivity. To be unaware of another’s potential is to deny his or her essence. Those who are unaware of what others have to give are more prone to exploit others. Instead, we should recognize that we can learn something from them. We have to realize that we need to step out of our "world bubble" or our "comfort zone" here in the U.S. and take into consideration that there actually are awesome opportunities out there, whether across the seas or even on our own continent. By doing this, "expanding our horizons", we can aid our Christian community in bringing together humankind through Jesus Christ and Him alone.

3. An Application of Faith

As I was reading through the first part of The Idea of a Christian College, by Arthur F. Holmes, for an English reading assignment, I came upon some very interesting ideas or "approaches" on how Christian colleges can and should integrate faith into education and learning. MC's mission statement says that it "values the integration of faith and learning throughout the educational process". So if a Christian college can integrate faith into its education, how do we integrate faith into our own lives, after being exposed to the faith we get from our education?

Well, to properly answer that question, what exactly is faith? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 that "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." As Christians, we are called to learn and develop our faith because it is the most essential and of the utmost importance for every aspect of our lives. Without faith, we can do nothing! Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

As Christians, especially those who are responsible for the education and care of others, we are called to build our spiritual foundation from the solid foundation of the Bible and the Bible alone. As Romans 10:17 states, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." So as I go to class here at MC and see how the Bible, the root of our faith, is integrated into my education, I can come back with a stronger sense of spiritual encouragement as I continue on towards finding God's will for my life. So in the end, by putting faith into the equation, MC can help encourage my walk and prepare me for exactly how God wants to use me.

2. About Me and MC

Well I'm Tony, as you might already know, and I'm from Huntsville, AL. I graduated from a small, Christian, private school where I was on the swim team, played baseball, and was on Student Council. I enjoyed my years there, and it taught me a lot about Christ and how Christianity isn't just a religion, it's a relationship. During my junior year, I visited different colleges including Samford, Lee University, Wheaton College, University of Mobile, Union University, and University of West Florida. I figured out then that I wanted a smaller, Christian environment instead of a big university. Up to that point, I had not even heard of MC, until my family visited some of our friends who live here in Clinton, MS. About every so often we come here to visit and go hunting with our friends. Well on one trip our friends invited another one of their friends to come and hunt with us, me not knowing that this "friend" was the Vice President at MC, Mr. Jim Turcotte. He told me to give MC a look, and I made several campus visits. Since then, I believe that the Lord directed my path here to MC, and I am still exploring His will for me everyday.

As for my major, I plan to graduate Mississippi College with a B.S. in Nursing. I beleive that God has given me the gift of compassion for others. After I finish here, I plan to go on to earn a Masters degree in Nurse Practitioner, and maybe one day become a medical missionary. My life hero, aside from Jesus Christ, has been man by the name of Jim Elliot. Jim was a missionary to a "lost" tribe in Ecuador. He and a few other men gave their lives one day, on one beach where they were attempting to reach this lost tribe called the "Aucas". You may have seen a move dedicated to these men called "End of the Spear". Jim's wife also wrote a book called "Through the Gates of Splendor" which goes more in detail about her husbands mission in Ecuador.

But anyways, that's me, and I intend to write about a little more intellectual stuff than this, and hopefully I'll be able to get better at writing on a blog. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Dive Deep in Christ,

Tony

1. The Beginning

Hey I'm Tony and welcome to my blog! I am a freshman at Mississippi College and a Nursing major. I am new to this way of blogging and am not the best at keeping and writing a journal, but I'll do my best and see what the Lord will lead me to write. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Dive Deep,

Tony