Be a Stellar Student

Paul reached out to his stellar student Timothy. He’s been teaching and developing Timothy for a few years by now and is telling him to level it up. You did well on the last grade level. Applaud. But, you’re on a new grade level. You did well when you started learning about God and church and people, but now that you have gone to the next level, you need to act like it. You’re not in elementary school any more, you’re in middle school. You’re not in middle school any more, you’re in high school. You’re not in high school any more, you’re in college. Act like you’re on the next level. Talk like you’re on the next level, but more importantly, act like you’re on the next level. People should know your relationship with God and your service to the Body of Christ have gone to the next level by how you act; how you live your life. In essence, Paul is telling Timothy, don’t be regular. You’ve been surpassed regular. {make faces} Regular. Normal. Routine. Typical. Ordinary. Common. Bland. Not special. Paul is telling Timothy to be stellar. On this level, you have to be exceptionally good. Good is good, but you have to be exceptionally good. Outstanding. Mindboggling. Unprecedented. Unexplainable. Phenomenal. Be so good that you cannot be overlooked or denied. Here’s my favorite. Be better than your best. Rumi put it this way, “Yesterday I was clever so I changed the world. Today I am wise so I changed myself.” He moved from clever to wise. He realized that once you make the world around you better, you have to spend time making you better. Timothy. You did your best (past tense), now do better (present tense). Tell somebody around you. YOU did your best, now do better! You’re a stellar student.

Everybody is going to show up for school. They’re going to have Pencil. Paper. Notebooks. Folders. Backpacks. School shoes. New clothes. Calculators. Tablets. Phones. And watches. Fresh cuts and curls. I know you’re going to show up. Somebody spent a lot of money for you to look good when you show up, but are you going to be a stellar student?

Timothy. I know you’re going to show up, but will you be stellar when you show up? Like a great teacher and mentor, Paul didn’t want to leave it to chance or misinterpretation so he shared a few tips with Timothy to ensure he was stellar when he showed up.

Here’s the first thing Paul shares with Timothy that will help us to be stellar students. One. Do your best. Notice, he doesn’t say do somebody else’s best. Nope. Paul is too mature for that. Don’t compare yourself to other students in life. That’s wasted time and energy. Do your best. All God expects from you is to do YOUR best. He doesn’t expect for you do to somebody else’s best. Just YOUR best. Timothy. Do your best. The KJV says, “Study to show”. The MSG says, “Concentrate”. The ESV says, “Do your best”. Here’s the revelation. Approach the assignment with intense effort, inexhaustible energy and insatiable genius.

Another way of saying do you best is to say, give it all you got! My football coach used to say. “Blash. Leave it all on the field son.” Give it all your focus; all your effort; all of your energy; all of your passion and all of your genius. Let’s push it further. Give it all your faith. When you give it all your faith, you realize that God gives you everything you need to be a stellar student. He gave you intelligence. He gave you ability. He gave you aptitude. Shout, God help me do my best! Help me do my best in math and science. Help me do my best in social studies and English. Help me do my best on exams and papers. Help me to give this school year all I’ve got.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved. Here’s the second thing Paul shares with Timothy that will help us to be stellar students. Two. Go to the board every chance you get. Timothy. Present yourself to God. Stand before God so you can show yourself to God. The only reason Paul told Timothy to stand before God as one approved was because Timothy had something worth seeing. Timothy. Go to the board and show us that you have been reading and studying the word of God. Timothy. Go to the board and show us that you have been praying and fasting before God. Timothy. Go to the board and show us that you have been serving and leading. Go to the board. Stand. Show. You have something worth seeing! Show God you’re ready.

Math was one of my favorite subjects. Early on, I wasn’t good at it. In fifth grade, Mr. Price my math teacher would work problems on the board. After he worked and example problem on the board, he would write problems all over the board. Then he would call for volunteers to work the problems in front of the whole class. At first, I was nervous. I didn’t want to get the problem wrong in front of the whole class. So I didn’t volunteer. Later, we had a test. I failed the test. But I realized something. The problems from the board were on the test. After that, I started raising my hand to go to the board. I worked as many problems on the board as I could. Some I got right. Some I got wrong. It’s better to get them wrong on the board than it is to get them wrong on the test. The one’s I got wrong, Mr. Price would tell me where I went wrong. The class would shout out where I went wrong. At the board, I fixed my mistakes. The next test came. I made the highest on the test. I didn’t make the highest on the test because I was the smartest. I made the highest on the test because I went to the board every chance I could. I got better at the board. I got smarter at the board. I overcame my mistakes at the board. I found courage to get the help I needed at the board.

Every now and then, God calls us to the board. Not to embarrass us, but to make us better; to correct us; to strengthen us; to encourage us; to prepare us. Timothy. Go to the board so you can show God you’re a stellar student.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed. Do all your work. Better yet, Three. Fall in love with extra credit. Timothy. I need you to put in the work. But don’t show out. Trying to impress people with what you know; what you can do; what you have; who you are. Don’t perform for them so they will applaud you. If you do, that’s all the reward you will get. Instead of showing out, why don’t you show up. Showing out is aimed at pleasing the people around you. Extra credit. Go past pleasing people. Show up. Showing up is aimed at pleasing God!

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do.” Ephesians 6:7-8

If you please God, you exceed the expectations of man. Your teacher / instructor will never expect more from you than God does. Please God in whatever you do and He will reward you for what you’ve done. When you walk into your school, your campus, your class, say this prayer: God I want to show up and please you. I want to please you with my studies. I want to please you with my projects and papers. I want to please you with my tests. I want to please you with my extracurricular activities. I want to please you at home and at work. I want to please you with my team or in the stands. I want to please you in all that I do. Please God and God will reward you.

When you show up, please God, He will always give you Extra Credit! Extra credit is God’s grace. He knew Adam and Eve were going to mess up in the garden. So He have them extra credit. He knew Gideon was going to be afraid before going into battle. So He gave him some extra credit. Jesus went to a wedding. God knew the wine was going to run out before the celebration was over. So He sent them some extra credit. Jesus turned water into wine. God knew Lazarus was going to die, but He sent Jesus to his grave and gave him some extra credit. Can you think of a time in your life when you messed up on a test, missed an assignment, didn’t do your part on the team, the dog ate your homework, you didn’t study well enough, but you still passed the class? God, gives extra credit.

Thank God for extra credit! Extra credit helps you excel on your tests!

You’re stellar when you know how to Rightly handling the word of truth. Four. Learning will change your life. Timothy. Apply what you learned to your life and it will change your life. Apply math to your life. Know when to add people to your life. Know when to subtract people from your life. Know when to be fruitful and multiply. Know how to rightly divide the word of truth. Apply social studies to your life. Love people. Live well with people. Apply English to your life. Learn how to effectively communicate. Learn how to express yourself. Learn how to listen well. Apply the word of truth. It will change your life. Stellar students apply what they learn to their life. It makes their life better. Timothy. Life is more enjoyable when you rightly handle the word of truth.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” –Benjamin Franklin

God’s word applied to your heart will change your life. God sent His word to save you. He sent His word to heal you. He sent His word to deliver you. He sent His word to make room for you, open doors for you and position you. He sent His word so we can love one another. He sent His word so we can serve one another. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. He sent His word to light up our path.

One. Do your best.

Two. Go to the board every chance you get.

Three. Fall in love with extra credit.

Four. Learning with change your life.

I’m done. For the past two weeks, I’ve been applying “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.” Ecclesiastes 9:7

Five. “Don’t forget to enjoy the moment while planning for the future.” Destiny Blash. Enjoy your classes. Enjoy your teachers. Enjoy your friends. Enjoy your school. Enjoy the games. Enjoy the moment while planning for the future.