5 Biblical Principles to Guide and Encourage College Students

Well-meaning as the college push may be in society, as a college professor, I have encountered far too many students who’ve ended up in college, not because they had a particular reason for being there, but because they felt that going to college was something they were supposed to do after high school.

Some of these students find a path, apply themselves, and go on to have incredible God-honoring ministries. Others flounder, wander, or burnout. Even those who graduate can end up finishing college under a mountain of debt, working jobs they didn’t need a degree to apply for, in fields that have little to nothing to do with what they actually studied.

Does God sometimes challenge our plans and alter the trajectory of our life? All the time.

However, stories like these have led many young adults to ask: is college even worth it anymore?

The answer to this question is, for some, no. It is not. For others, college can be incredibly rewarding and even necessary to further their goals. The important thing is for prospective students to know why they want to go to school while counting and considering the cost of their education.

When discussing the cost of becoming His disciple, Jesus encouraged His would-be followers to consider, “which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28).

Jesus was, of course, talking about the Christian life, however, the same wisdom can be applied to college.

Beyond the obvious financial cost of higher education, going to college requires incredible commitment, hard work, and sacrifice. Many adults may prayerfully conclude that college is not for them, and that is okay. Students would be wise, therefore, to count and consider the cost of pursuing a college education, seeking the Lord for guidance and direction.

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Like many adults racing from one event in their jam-packed schedule to another, college students often struggle with finding and maintaining balance in life.

Many students I’ve mentored over the years have committed significant time and energy to their studies and outside work. However, many also end up taking on too much. As a result, many students live over-stressed, overworked, and unhealthy lives. And if their priorities are out of alignment – which they often are – they will waste time and energy on tasks and activities that take them away from what they really need to be doing.

Furthermore, many students will inevitably come to the place where God becomes a passenger in their journey, not the lord and guiding light of their life (Psalms 37:4).

Sadly, burnout is far too common for college students whose priorities are unbalanced or who work at an unhealthy and often unbiblical pace.

Jesus taught us, instead, to, “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33-34, emphasis added). Even Solomon in all his wisdom acknowledged that, “the writing of many books is endless, and excessive study is wearying to the body” (Ecclesiastes 12:12).

We are not created to do it all, and while God promises to sustain us in our weakness, packing our schedules to the point of exhaustion is not God’s plan for anyone. In fact, in our effort to do more, we will often find we are incapable of doing anything well at all.

Of course, the Bible says that we are to work hard and be diligent in all we do (Philippians 2:14-15; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 22:29; Proverbs 6:6; Proverbs 12:24), living productive lives and doing everything for the glory and approval of God (Colossians 3:23-24).

College is hard work. And just because something is difficult doesn’t mean that we are operating outside of God’s will. However, without God’s guidance and strength and a God-first mentality, we will often labor in vain.

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Taking on less is rarely a hallmark of the college semester. In fact, today’s college students often operate on a jam-packed schedule that affords them little room to even breathe.

While there is biblical support for “numbering our days” (Psalms 90:12) and “making the best use of our time” (Ephesians 5:15-17; Colossians 4:5), God’s plan for His children is never as fast-paced and hectic as we like to make it.

Solomon concluded that there is a time and a place for every season and activity under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3). That includes rest.

There’s a reason why God added a day of rest into His schedule for creation (Genesis 2:3). It’s not because God was tired and needed a break. Rather, God rested from His work and created a Sabbath day as a future blessing for humanity, whose work will never be finished (Mark 2:23-28).

College students, pay attention!

The author of Hebrews writes, “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:9-11).

Unfortunately, between classes, internships, studying, work, and writing papers, many students seek to maximize their time by squeezing every minute out of every day. In doing so, rest and a regular Sabbath are often sacrificed.

The Sabbath, however, was created as a blessing for you!

As a student, you aren’t given license to defer this day of rest just so you can study more, work more, and finish more homework. You must learn to be a good steward of your time, but taking one day out of the week to put down your textbooks, rest from your work, and worship God with fellow believers isn’t just a suggestion. It is a biblical mandate (Deuteronomy 5:12-14).

We all live busy lives, but if our schedules are so busy that we must regularly disregard worship, fellowship, and the rest that God, in His wisdom and grace, has given us, perhaps we are doing something wrong.

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In addition to neglecting rest and a regular Sabbath, one of the frequent pitfalls I see college students fall into is removing themselves from a healthy community or, for Christian students, distancing themselves from the body of Christ.

Obviously, there are many young adults who end up going to college out of state, away from their home church. In these instances, finding a new home church can be difficult. Furthermore, it’s easy to become isolated when so much of the college experience involves long hours of studying, reading, and writing in solitude. However, staying connected to the body of Christ and maintaining regular fellowship with other Christians is essential for growing in one’s faith.

Fellowship and spiritual friendships are God’s way of providing encouragement and accountability to His children.

The author of Hebrews writes, “let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Distancing ourselves from the body of Christ deprives us of essential spiritual nourishment. It also deprives others of the spiritual gifts God has given us for their benefit (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

Isolated Christians are the most vulnerable to spiritual attack, and an isolated student who is also tired and stressed is setting themselves up for a fall.

While a lot can be learned from watching an online sermon or participating in a virtual church service, gathering together for in-person fellowship, the laying on of hands in prayer, and corporate worship must be treated as an essential component of the Christian faith.

As students, no amount of homework or studying should be an excuse to isolate yourself from community, especially the body of Christ.

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It’s no secret that a vast majority of colleges and universities in the United States embrace an ideology or worldview that opposes Christianity and the God of the Bible. Without a firm foundation in biblical truth, the unsuspecting Christian can be knocked on their heels and see their faith crumble.

Staying connected to the church, seeking a godly mentor, and maintaining regular fellowship can help strengthen and cover the Christian student in a world that is hostile to their beliefs (Ephesians 6:11-14; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:15).

However, the greatest spiritual armor and weapons Christians have been given to withstand any form of ideological influence, false teaching, and indoctrination contrary to their faith is prayer and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:11-14). College students especially must hold tight to the Word of God, memorizing, and meditating on it day and night (Joshua 1:8-9).

The Bible says that the one who is grounded in the Word will not be easily “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wave of doctrine, by the trickery of people, or by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).

In fact, the apostle John also wrote that the mark of a mature young person is that they have “overcome the evil one” and are “strong” because “the word of God remains in them” (1 John 2:12-14).

Students must remember that they are called to be set apart and not to conform to the pattern and thinking of this world, no matter how popular or “academic” the prevailing wisdom of their classroom may sound (1 John 2:15; Romans 12:2).

Being unashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16) Christians of all ages must “be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks to give an account for the hope that is in them, doing so with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). This is as true for students as it is biblical scholars.

Only in Christ and the firm foundation of God’s Word will college students be able to stand firm through any storm, grow in godly wisdom, and thrive in the call God has placed on their lives.

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