Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Thomas Road Baptist Church senior pastor Jonathan Falwell encourages students to remember God

Tue, 29 Nov 2016Asa Keimig, LUCOM Marketing and PR Coordinator

Thomas Road Baptist Church senior pastor Jonathan Falwell encouraged faculty, administrative staff, and student-doctors when he spoke at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) weekly convocation on November 16.

Pastor Falwell talked about the importance in taking a break every once and a while. “You guys are in a grueling program,” said Falwell. “You have a lot on your plate every single day.” He told the student-doctors how it’s important to recognize that while they’re incredibly busy at this time, that life isn’t going to get any less busy then right now. “Things don’t really slow down,” he said.

Pastor Falwell focused his message on Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse one. “Remember now your creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and the years draw near when you say I have no pleasure in them.” Pastor Falwell encouraged those in attendance to remember God before the days of disaster come. He spoke on how the passage was written not to discourage, but to encourage. “Remember God now before you get down the road and life gets difficult,” said Falwell. “God gives us this verse to encourage us because if you connect to God now, no matter how difficult life may get down the road, God will see you through.”

Falwell talked about four tendencies that individuals naturally do and struggle within their spiritual walk. The first tendency is the disconnected life, where individuals make life decisions as if God doesn’t really exist. The second tendency is the wasted life, where individuals chase after the meaningless things in life. The third tendency is the shallow life, where individuals delay their connection with God. The fourth and final tendency is the trapped life, where individuals get stuck in the deep ruts of life. “When you decide to delay your connection to God, it makes life so incredibly difficult,” said Falwell. “We can do what our natural sinful nature tells us about our natural inclinations or we can run after our only hope which is God.”