SUCCESS WITH SALTINESS

The Christian Students’ Excellence

-Kasepogu Gabriel, B.D.III, UBS, Pune
WHAT IS EXCELLENCE & SUCCESS WITH SALTINESS? In this World of competition
there is no place for people or organizations which do not look for excellence in their respective
fields. Oxford Dictionary defines excellence as “the quality of being extremely good”, which
denotes doing our best by using our totality & being better tomorrow than we were yesterday.
Encarta Dictionary defines success as “an achievement of desired aim or something planned or
attempted”. John C. Maxwell says: “Success is knowing the purpose of your life, growing to
reach your maximum potential, sowing seeds that benefit others”. In the Bible a true follower of
Christ is compared to salt in Mathew 5:13-14. Therefore to us, success with saltiness means
“following the footsteps of Jesus Christ and projecting Christ by excelling in our studies and
spiritual life to glorify God & to live like a salt among the people of our nation”. For a true
Christian student saltiness and success are like two tracks and need to excel both in studies and
in spiritual life too and should go hand in hand.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE? Christian excellence is motivated by a desire to please God.
William Carey said: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” We have to
excel because our God is excellent (Ps 8:1), His name is excellent (Ps 148:13) and we are called
to be excellent (Phil 4:28). Remember what Mahatma Gandhi said: “I like your Christ; I do not like
your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ; if Christians would really live according to
the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.”
WHO ARE OUR MODELS? The Bible displays many examples of those who excelled in their
lives and succeeded. Out of them Daniel and his friends were outstanding group of people who
succeeded with saltiness. They excelled in their spirituality, personality (Dan.1:4), in their
academics (Dan.1:4,20), in their profession (Dan.2:48–49) and even ministry. In spite of political,
social, religious, cultural barriers, oppression, oppositions, pains, even death, Daniel and his
friends were able to stand for God and they excelled because of their steadfastness, strong
commitment & determination in obeying the call of God and doing the will of God. They never
compromised or joined their hands with any kind of sin & the desires of the World. Their lives &
words testified about God powerfully, reflected & challenged to the people & even to the kings.
WHEN SHOULD WE EXCEL? Christian excellence is not seasonal or occasional but it is a
life time application and it should be consistent and it should go on after studies and to the end of
our life. The moment we decide to give our life to Christ and be born-again, our goal is to pursue
excellence. Pat Riley says: "excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better”.
Because excellence is never attained upon first attempt but is always the outcome of persistent
effort invested over time in pursuit of a high goal.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR HINDRANCES OR ROAD BLOCKS?
A) Hindrances to Our Spiritual Life: Within & Around Us: Forgetfulness to spend time with
God in prayer, quiet time and meditating the Word of God, memories of an evil past, our hidden
selfish & malice motives to pursue pleasures, prosperity, powerful positions, superiority and
inferiority complexes, our inability to distinguish between committing a sin & living in sin,
handling the temptations, hiding and doing secret sins and hypocrisy. (Hebrews 10:19-27). Our
journey towards excellence can be side tracked by over thinking on our personal and family
problems, struggles, disappointments, lust, sexual desires, bad dreams, sinful thoughts, what we
don’t have, struggle of finding God’s will in marriage/choosing life partner and future settlement
(1 John 2:16, James 1: 14-18) and the impact of misusing the contemporary media & technology.
B) Hindrances to Our Academics: Ignorance or Unaware of our own ability, subject
applicability, lack of updates about the contemporary world, mismanaging our time, treasure &
talents. Forgetting our goals, purpose of joining the course or study, poor maintenance of class
notes, doing assignments at the last minute, entering the examination without proper preparation
and stealing the library time/study hours, reading over nights before examinations results in
sickness, misusing our freedom which is given by God, parents, faculty, college administration,
overcoming guide of conduct or rules and regulations of the college will take away success with
saltiness. Lack of self discipline (Read I Corinthians 12-14 and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes):
Excessive sleep and laziness, lack of proper exercises or morning/evening walk, eating more
than required are road blocks to our excellence and cause to illness. Remember we are stewards
to all what God has given to us (I Corinthians 6:19-20, Ecclesiastes 11:9-10, Proverbs 23:21).
HOW TO EXCEL? A) In Our Spiritual Life: Spend time with God alone is the platform to
grow spiritually through quiet time, personal Bible study, prayer, thanksgiving and praise,
worship (Psalm 1:2-3, 119:1-16, 105...). We can spend at least 30-60 minutes to have meaningful
time & fellowship with God on daily basis. Sadhu Sundar Singh said: “Without Christ I was like
a fish out of water, with Christ, I am in a sea of life.” Today many Christians are excelling in
their studies, wealth and other things without Christ, sadly, these Christians live a life of quiet
desperation as they are daily defeated by the world, the flesh, the devil and continuing in the sin
and sinful thoughts. Have Fellowship with Believers: Choose a prayer partner(s) with same
gender those who have same faith and passion, commitment, convictions to share the burdens, to
pray for each other and to encourage one another for at least 15 minutes on daily basis. Have
regular touch with prayer cells, Bible study cells, and care group cells, family prayers to share
our testimony or God’s word. Witnessing Christ (Acts 1:8, I John 1:1-3): Project Gospel and the
uniqueness of Jesus Christ, Paul defined the Gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). And we can witness for Christ by our life and words (Mathew
4:19). Spiritual Warfare (Eph 6:10-20): Knowingly or unknowingly we are falling to the devil’s
dragnets through different attractions/temptations which results spiritual poverty, carnality,
depression and backsliding in our lives. (James 4:7). Bearing fruits of the Spirit is the hallmark
of an excelling Christian. (Compare Galatians 5:19-21 and 5:22-24).
B) In Our Academic Life and Other Areas (James 1:5-8): BASIC THINGS TO DO:
a) In Our Room or Home: Read the complete syllabus to understand and to get an overall idea
on the course. Organize schedule of the day apply and practice the “do it now” (do not say
tomorrow) principle to the regular study hours, doing assignments/ home work on your own and
in time. Read the topics in advance, revising once/twice, do not depend on other’s notes/
material, prepare your own notes in your own way to understand/remember easily. Concentrate
on concepts and themes, think and apply. Solve old question papers, expert/master the subjects in
which you are good/easy for you; give much attention to the weaker subjects to improve slowly.
b) In the Class Room: Be punctual; attend all the classes without fail. be attentive in the class,
keep away sleepy, lazy body, mind & pay rapt attention to the teacher in class. Make your own
simple notes, highlight important points during the lesson/ revision time, and ask genuine doubts.
c) In the Library & Campus or College: Maintain healthy relationships with all kinds of
people without losing our dignity and modesty, sanctity of the society and moral values (Romans
12:18). Try to spend time as much as possible in the library and use it properly; apart from our
text books read general knowledge books and newspapers, current affairs to update ourselves.
Don’t be selfish and be willing to help those who are struggling.
d) In Personality: Master communication & speaking skills, develop self confidence, creative
thinking. Cultivate thoughts, optimistic attitude, respect elders, opposite sex, superiors & be
honest in dealings. (Jas 1:19-21).
e) In Self Discipline: Take 100 percent responsibility for your life & write out a plan for
achieving your goals, never give up, and don’t delay. John Wesley said: “in 24 hours of a day
that he had eight hours to sleep, eight hours to work, eat, and study, and the other eight hours he
could give to God”. And Jonathan Edwards disciplined his life so that he often had 13 hours a
day to spend in study! Self-discipline is one of the parts of the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore plan
out your day, set priorities & do hard things first. (2 Timothy 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:10, I Thessalonians 4:6).
HOW CAN WE IMPACT THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY? We can impact through prayer,
readiness to take responsibilities in the Church, in our colleges & in the society. We can widely
use our talents and gifts, writing articles to the news papers and magazines, involving in holistic
ministry, social and voluntary organizations, NGO’s, mission organizations, Christian students’
organizations and Churches etc. John Stott said: "We must be global Christians with a global
vision because our God is a global God." Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will
be called children of God” - Matthew 5:9. On the way of Christian excellence we may face ups
and downs, failures, pains and struggles, disappointments, but remember all these are part and
parcel of our Christian life. Colin Powell said: “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of
preparation, hard work, and learning from failure”. Look at the great men and women of God
how they were excelled in their lives & how they impacted. (Paul said): “Therefore, since we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin
that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of God” - Hebrews 12:1-2. These witnesses who succeed with saltiness in their lives are
watching us from the heavenly auditorium to see our success and saltiness. Are we willing to live
a successful life with saltiness like them? Why not? The same God who gave the success to them
is with us today. May the Lord Jesus Christ’s unfailing love and grace enable us to live a
successful life with saltiness to glow for God!!!