LOOK—I AM WITH YOU
DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE COLLEGE YEAR
An academic year of devotional readings based on
Colossians – Matthew – 1 Corinthians – 1 Peter
(In NRSV translation)
Dale Goldsmith
LOOK—I AM WITH YOU
Daily Devotions for the College Year
Copyright © 2015 Dale Goldsmith. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
Cascade Books
An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3
Eugene, OR 97401
www.wipfandstock.com
ISBN 13: 978-1-4982-1973-0
EISBN 13: 978-1-4982-1974-7
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:
Goldsmith, Dale.
Look—I am with you : daily devotions for the college year / Dale Goldsmith.
xvi + 270 p. ; 23 cm.
ISBN 13: 978-1-4982-1973-0
1. Devotional exercises. 2. Prayers. 3. College students. I. Title.
BV260 G56 2015
Manufactured in the U.S.A. 08/06/2015
Scripture excerpts are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Written two thousand years ago, the Bible is actually the most relevant resource for the challenges of college students today. Who do I want amongst my peers and community? For which things and values do I want to stand? Do faith and intellect have to be in competition? . . . Dale Goldsmith’s book is a primer on how to keep Jesus Christ front and center in our college years—and beyond.”
—Alison Boden, Dean of the Chapel, Princeton University
“Goldsmith has written a fresh and engaging devotional guide for college students. He provides 365 lessons drawn from Colossians, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Peter. These daily devotions walk through each New Testament book and connect them to students’ life experiences. Along the way, Goldsmith gives guidance for reading the Bible. Look, I Am With You is a unique resource. If you are a college student or have one in your life, I highly recommend it!
—Jeannine K. Brown, Bethel Seminary, San Diego
“Goldsmith brings college students a useful and distinct devotional resource that invites them into the biblical narrative to equip them to examine many of the challenges that college presents [people] of faith. They gain help and encouragement to reflect on how they are following the living Lord and Teacher, as they develop their personal faith story. This is a beneficial tool in a time of considerable opposition and many alternatives to faith in Jesus Christ.”
—Scott Stewart, Editor, The Quiet Hour
“Born from a lifetime of being a Christian in the University, these meditations are a gift that professors and students will cherish.”
—Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law, Duke University
“Without question, there is a dearth of thoughtful books about this period in a young adult’s life we call the ‘college years.’ Once again, Dale Goldsmith seeks to fill that gap with his newest offering. In I Am With You you'll find sound biblical exegesis and time-honored wisdom infused into Goldsmith’s delightful prose about how to navigate those often bewildering years. Delving deeply into four New Testament books, he rightly secures his place as one of the most significant theological voices writing to, rather than about, college students. I couldn’t recommend a book more to college ministers (and their students) who are looking for a resource that applies biblical wisdom to the everyday life of young adults during their college careers.”
—Jason Brian Santos, Coordinator for Youth, College and Young Adult Ministries (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.) and author of A Community Called Taizé: A Story of Prayer, Worship, and Reconciliation
Dedicated to those students
who want to follow
Jesus Christ
as Lord and Teacher in
their college experience.
So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go?
You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20b
PREFACE
You are a Christian in college. College—public or private, state-supported or even church-related—can be a thoroughly secular, worldly place. That means that your Christian faith plays little role in most of what goes on at your school. It will mean that your college experience will present you with a lot of challenges to that faith. Some are challenges you would face anywhere—back at home, in the workplace, in the military. Others are unique to the college experience.
Some might think that their faith can take a vacation while they are in school. Christians know that the opposite is the case. In fact, considering what goes on in college, your faith needs more fuel in college than perhaps in any other environment. Why? Because you are constantly being confronted with new ideas, new facts, new theories to explain the new facts, new criticisms of all the theories. And new experiences. And new people. This is a busy time for your brain. And your thinking is connected closely to your faith and both are connected to how you live.
All of this comes at you pretty fast; and on a daily basis. And the new authorities—like teachers, books, and even roommates—are a constant presence. Which among all those authorities that clamor for your ear are you going to follow? Or will your primary authority figure be the Lord Jesus Christ? Will your primary authority source be Scripture?
As a Christian you expect to listen to Jesus and follow him in discipleship. Disciples need regular practice to develop their discipleship. Like an athlete or musician, you need regular practice that is rigorous, focuses on fundamentals, and constantly seeks improvement. Christian discipleship doesn’t impose one strict pattern on everyone. Each one will nurture the unique gifts God has given—including what you are gaining from your college experience. So this is not the time to take a vacation from the Christian faith and wait to pick it up again . . . later.
Later? “Later” is when your intense exposure to all of the new college experiences will slow down. “Later” is when you will have already met that person with whom you hope to spend the rest of your life. “Later” is when you will have already picked a life’s work and gotten prepared for it. “Later” happens after some of the biggest decisions of your life are already made. Can you afford to wait until “later” when some of your most decisive thinking is happening now?
So college is intense and will be challenging. The best resource for you as a Christian is Jesus Christ and you come closest to him through Scripture. But how does that work to help you in college? You probably don’t envision yourself starting at the beginning of Genesis and reading until you find a passage that speaks to you about your roommate, time management, how old the universe is, or what to do on a date.