President Costin urges new class of student-doctors to be God’s hands and feet in reaching the lost

In speaking to 160 new student-doctors at the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s first Convocation of the school year on Wednesday, Liberty President Dondi E. Costin encouraged them to be the hands and feet of Christ as they pursue future careers as physicians.

The first-year students arrived on Liberty Mountain to start their classes three weeks ago; returning students followed a week later.

Costin, a retired Major General, shared about his journey to the Air Force Academy, his 36 years of military service, and how the Lord worked through him during his role in the Pentagon as the Air Force Chief of Chaplains.

Starting with a simple invitation from a high school recruiter at time when Costin said he “didn’t have a plan” for his life, the dual opportunity to serve his country and pursue a free education stood out. Arriving at the academy, Costin said he was met by a community of “brothers and sisters from all over the country who came together because they had a common mission,” and he likened that to the diverse LUCOM student body he was addressing.

His Convocation message centered on the three parables Jesus tells the tax collectors and Pharisees in Luke 15. When the crowd had accused Jesus of welcoming and eating with sinners, Jesus’ response was to share three stories of how God sees every human being as valuable and worthy of seeking: a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to look for one that was lost, a woman sweeping her entire home looking for one lost coin, and a father rejoicing at the return of a son who was once thought lost to the world.

“I tell you that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent,” Costin said. “This is the best news that any of us could ever hear. God loves you like you cannot even imagine. He loves you more in a way that would blow your mind. He loves you exactly the way you are, and He wants so much more for you than you could even ask or think. All you have to do is come to Him … and Jesus will say, ‘I’ve been looking for you.’”

Costin urged the student-doctors to actively represent the body of Christ to those who need physical and spiritual healing.

“I would hope that you would see your patients not as nuisances, not as annoyances … but as humans who need a touch from God, and that God has put you in that place for when that time comes,” he said. “You then can become the hands and feet of God; you’re the sweeper (like the woman in the parable). You’re the one who can say to them, when the time comes and God does His work, ‘You are found.’”

LUCOM’s first-year class comes from all over the country and some from overseas; the most represented states are (in order): Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, New York, Ohio, and North Carolina.

The new student-doctors will participate in a White Coat Ceremony, a tradition for medical schools nationwide. Usually held during the first weeks of classes, this year’s ceremony for LUCOM will take place on Sept. 25. The ceremony will be livestreamed on LUCOM’s Facebook page.