Graduate Sunday at NRN!

Today is Graduates Sunday at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene!  Pastor Jordan Unfried – our Youth Pastor – will bring the morning message. 

My nephew Montana Hudgens is graduating this year from East Mecklenburg High School. I want to take this time to congratulate him! He is graduating from the same high school I graduated from in 1973. (My, no wonder I feel old!)  

Here is a simple message I want to share with the graduates today:

Congratulations to those who are graduating from high school this year.  You have navigated many years of instruction and now are embarking into the brand new world of adulthood.  Graduation is the doorway to a new chapter in your life.

As you stand at the threshold, it will pay you to heed the advice of the great king, Solomon, known as the wisest man who ever lived:  "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecc. 12:1).

Today as you stand at the door, I encourage you to pause and reflect on the following words: honor, understanding, gratitude and courage.

Honor:  

This is a time to honor those who have taught you -- your parents and your teachers.   In Proverbs 1:8 King Solomon said “Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching."

When I was young, I didn't think my teachers and parents knew very much.  The older I get, the more I realize the more they knew.

Grant honor to those who have invested in your life by showing respect and applying what they have taught you in order to make good decisions.

Understanding:

King Solomon said, "wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get

wisdom:  and with all your getting get understanding"                                                                                           (Proverbs 4:7). 

The stuff you learn in school is knowledge.  The application of that knowledge to life is called wisdom.  Many people have knowledge without wisdom.  The way to obtain wisdom is to seek understanding.

Challenges and troubles are our teachers.  You will go through them.  The question is -- will you GROW through them?  The pathway to personal growth and maturity is to glean the meaning from all your experiences.

Gratitude:

Solomon's dad, David, wrote most of the Psalms and nurtured an attitude of gratitude in his home. For instance, in Psalm 106:1 we find these words, "Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!"

A thankful heart is a healthy heart. Look back and thank God for the many blessings you enjoy. Of course, there are plenty of things to complain about, but I have discovered that life runs best on positive energy.

Courage:

Transitions are never easy -- but nothing worthwhile ever is easy. We never get to the end zone by staying in the comfort zone. The world is in bad shape and getting worse -- and will only be changed by those who are brave enough to step forward to make a difference. Courage counts! As you stand at the door, be bold and remember these words of wisdom from Solomon's dad, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD"                                                                                       (Psalm 27:14).


Here is an additional insight: