Proverbs 3:3
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Back in the 1970’s (Can you remember that far back?) I was working for the State of Idaho and because of my background I also taught night classes at Boise State in the fields of Criminal Justice and Sociology. We had to have at least 20 students enrolled for the class or it would not be offered. Several times I went to pick up my class roll and discovered there were not enough signed up.
One class I remember well. I went to the registrar’s office hoping to have enough students. I asked if there were enough and with a laugh I was told that there were 122 students. Wow! What was I going to do with that many students? I asked a friend who was a full time professor about my dilemma. He laughed and said; “Cecil, you will not be a teacher, you will be an entertainer!”
At the close of the first session I gave the class assignment. They were to state what was the most important thing to them and why. There were some grumbles, but when they came back to the following week I could detect a change. They had been thinking about what was most important to them and it made them smile.
As I reviewed their responses for the next class session, I was amazed. Most had listed LOVE as the most important thing. Second in importance was JOY and then came PEACE. Now remember that this was a state university, but I took out my Bible and read Galatians 5:22-23; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” I used their responses as the pattern to teach real meaning into our lives.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil