Thursday, March 28 2024 - 11:53 AM
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Should I Finish My Education or Drop Out?

First make sure that your connection with God is healthy (questions 1-3.). If you’re connected with God then think about these things:

You Were Put Here on Earth to Serve

Jesus told his followers: “Whoever wants to be great among you must serve as a servant. . . . in the same way that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” Matthew 20:26-28. The first question to ask is not: Should I finish my education, but to what kind of service is God calling me? Is God calling you serve him as an auto mechanic or physics teacher? A molecular biologist or a musician, a stay-at-home mom or a physician? A truck driver, a minister, an artist, an accountant, a special ed. teacher?

No Matter what Specific Role God calls You to, You are to Do Your Very Best

The Bible declares, “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31. “Whatever work you do, do your best” Ecclesiastes 9:10. “Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women.” Ephesians 6:7.

If you are going to honor God in working on cars, you’ll want to make sure that you get all the training you can, so that you are the best mechanic in town. If you are going to stay at home and take care of your children, you’ll want to make sure that your mind has been developed so that you’ll be able to direct the learning and growing of your children in a way that prepares them for outstanding service for Jesus and humanity.

God Usually Wants His Followers to Have an Education

The first five books of the Bible were written by Moses. Moses was the most educated man in the world at the time. He had been trained to become the king of Egypt. He had been trained in literature, warfare, political science, religion, science, and everything else the Egyptians knew. God used Moses to write the first five books of the Bible. They have shaped all of human history since then. The apostle Paul had the equivalent of a Ph.D. in religion. Once he became converted he became one of the most powerful preachers and missionaries in the history of the church. He wrote most of the New Testament. Even Jesus did not rush right into ministry. He did not acquire a formal education, but God had him wait until he was thirty before he launched his special work of healing and teaching.

Bottom Line

There have been a few individuals whom God has specifically, personally called to drop out of school in order to pursue a special mission. But this is very rare. Most of the people God calls to ministry are prepared through a long process of education. So, unless God makes it absolutely clear that he has something very unusual in mind for you, the wisest thing for Christians to do is to get all the education you can to prepare yourself to do all the good you can.

If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy Graduating During Covid-19 | The Great Vision of Christian Education 

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About John McLarty

John McLarty

writes from the Pacific Northwest.

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