[h=2]Dinah was rejected for being Christian, but used school to glorify God
Being a Christian in a hostile place[/h] Sick of school? Over study? I’m sure that many of you wish you could fast forward to the end of the year, so all your exams were over. It’s easy to procrastinate or to stress out. But how does God want you to study?
Dinah showed me that study can be a way to worship God! I was really challenged when I met her in Indonesia in July 2010.
Dinah is a 15 year-old Christian believer – she grew up in a Muslim family, came to Christ and was rejected by her family for her faith. She was also persecuted at school. Like Jesus said to His disciples, “All men will hate you because of me” Matthew 10:22.
Dinah is one of the smartest kids in her school, but when she became a Christian, her school kicked her out of the top class and put her in the bottom class! For some of us, we might give up after this kind of disappointment and pain. But Dinah saw this as an opportunity to worship Jesus.
And so from the bottom class she committed herself to work hard and offer her study as an act of worship to Jesus. And guess what? Dinah became the top-ranked student in her school. This wasn’t just marked on grades; this was about attitude, character, grades, everything. Dinah’s whole life shined the light of Christ to those who hated her.
Dinah earned the respect of the teachers and her classmates. It opened up opportunities for her to speak about her faith in Christ.
“The Lord has given me a passion and my desire is to reach the young people for Christ. Lord, I am so blessed to know You… I pray that God will give grace to all the young people so they will know Jesus.”
[h=2]So how will you study?[/h] "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" – Colossians 3:23-24.
The Bible tells us to see all of life as worship. It’s not just about Sundays. It’s about how we live and work on Mondays. When we offer our study to God like Dinah, and see it as an opportunity to glorify Christ, we transform study into worship.
Dinah didn’t see persecution as an excuse to give up, she saw it as an opportunity to bring glory to her Lord. You probably won’t be kicked out of school because of Jesus, but you have the same choices before you. When study gets tough, will you procrastinate or stress out, or will you keep on going, knowing that your work is not wasted, for it is the Lord Christ you are serving?
by Brad Konemann
Being a Christian in a hostile place[/h] Sick of school? Over study? I’m sure that many of you wish you could fast forward to the end of the year, so all your exams were over. It’s easy to procrastinate or to stress out. But how does God want you to study?
Dinah showed me that study can be a way to worship God! I was really challenged when I met her in Indonesia in July 2010.
Dinah is a 15 year-old Christian believer – she grew up in a Muslim family, came to Christ and was rejected by her family for her faith. She was also persecuted at school. Like Jesus said to His disciples, “All men will hate you because of me” Matthew 10:22.
Dinah is one of the smartest kids in her school, but when she became a Christian, her school kicked her out of the top class and put her in the bottom class! For some of us, we might give up after this kind of disappointment and pain. But Dinah saw this as an opportunity to worship Jesus.
And so from the bottom class she committed herself to work hard and offer her study as an act of worship to Jesus. And guess what? Dinah became the top-ranked student in her school. This wasn’t just marked on grades; this was about attitude, character, grades, everything. Dinah’s whole life shined the light of Christ to those who hated her.
Dinah earned the respect of the teachers and her classmates. It opened up opportunities for her to speak about her faith in Christ.
“The Lord has given me a passion and my desire is to reach the young people for Christ. Lord, I am so blessed to know You… I pray that God will give grace to all the young people so they will know Jesus.”
[h=2]So how will you study?[/h] "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" – Colossians 3:23-24.
The Bible tells us to see all of life as worship. It’s not just about Sundays. It’s about how we live and work on Mondays. When we offer our study to God like Dinah, and see it as an opportunity to glorify Christ, we transform study into worship.
Dinah didn’t see persecution as an excuse to give up, she saw it as an opportunity to bring glory to her Lord. You probably won’t be kicked out of school because of Jesus, but you have the same choices before you. When study gets tough, will you procrastinate or stress out, or will you keep on going, knowing that your work is not wasted, for it is the Lord Christ you are serving?
by Brad Konemann
