Liberty University’s Class of 2025 — one of the largest in our history — was sent out from our campus in May ready for the rest of God’s story to be written in their lives. Addressing our graduates in Williams Stadium during our Main Commencement Ceremony, I reminded them that their commissioning from Liberty Mountain into the world is a flip of the page in this story, the beginning of a chapter that will tell the tale of God’s faithfulness. Our stories begin before our first breaths, and God assigns us a mission in a story where He is the main character. Liberty University’s purpose is to train young people to follow that mission, live life for the good of others, and give the glory to God as each chapter unfolds.
Liberty is a place where both academic scholarship and fearless faith intertwine, preparing young men and women to face challenges, overcome insurmountable odds, and even change the course of history. During the ceremony, I recounted the story of David, the familiar biblical account of a young man with a stone, a sling, and an unshakable faith, who took down a giant and, indeed, changed the course of history. The story was fitting because we were honored to host the director and main actors from the new Prime Video series “House of David” in Convocation this past spring. David’s story reminds us that God chooses His champions not based on their outward appearance but on the extent to which their hearts are set on Him. The same God in Whom David placed his faith, Who put the stone at David’s feet, is the God Who is still equipping the faithful — Champions for Christ — to do miraculous things in our world today and, Lord willing, change the course of history once again.
At Liberty we equip and encourage our students to stand firm, grounded in the unchanging Word of God, strengthened by a community of believers, and inspired by the over 300,000 Champions for Christ who have gone before. Our students are challenged to live boldly for Christ wherever He takes them. Our keynote speaker for Commencement, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, encouraged our graduates to use their intellect, hope, faith, and love to impact the world.
When we operate in the power of God, our actions can achieve what others say is impossible. Liberty University was built by the power of God, and it continues to be fueled by that same power and provision. With every milestone passed, every opportunity celebrated, may the Lord be magnified, and may our story point others to Him.
Each semester I have the privilege of preaching from God’s Word during our weekly Campus Community gatherings on Wednesday nights. Our spring semester series, “He Is,” opened the book of Colossians and examined what it says about the attributes of God. I reminded our students that each of them has a résumé that they carry with them into their future careers. Colossians 1:15-20 serves as Christ’s résumé, listing His supreme roles as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. From planets to particles, all things were created by Him and for Him, leading us to spend our lives worshipping Him, following Him, and being conformed to His image. I urged students to recognize and respond to God’s supremacy, placing Christ in His rightful place of dominion over every aspect of their lives. Nothing is more important at Liberty than encouraging students to embrace that response.
According to Oxford University’s World Happiness Report, the United States ranks just 24th in happiness among the 150 countries evaluated. Despite greater wealth, comforts, and freedoms relative to other parts of the world, the American population is unhappy. Why? Because we have gone our own way rather than aligning ourselves with God’s design. Building the life we want is never the path to meaning, purpose, and joy. Instead, allowing God to build the life He wants for us is the story God has in mind. When God’s story overlaps our story, we finally have a real chance to live happily ever after, regardless of the obstacles we face along the way.
Regardless of the setting, the job of every Champion for Christ is to work, live, and serve as if he or she is doing it all for the Lord. Everything we do is under God’s authority — for His glory and others’ good.
God calls us to be innovative, excellent, loving, and humble. He calls us to pick up the stones He places in front of us and use them to do His will. Because He publishes bestsellers that only He can write, things go so much better when we let the pen stay in His hand. Thankfully, Liberty University is a key part of His story, and I cannot wait to see what He writes next.
— Dondi E. Costin | President
