Glorifying God in Service

with this essay i got 3rd place in an essay contest and was awarded a 1000 dollar yearly renewable scholarship for college :)




I have been a Christian for most of my life and consider myself to be a fairly strong one. For this reason, and because I felt I was ready to test my faith in a more hostile environment, I was not originally planning on attending a Christian college. In the past year, however, I discovered within myself a desire to help teen girls and I felt called by God into a life of counseling and ministry. I have many friends who have been in different kinds of counseling. I am convinced that Biblical counseling is the only type that truly brings about healing for several reasons. Biblical counseling addresses the root problem in each person’s life, which is sin. God has given each of His children special gifts with which they are to glorify Him. I believe that with the gifts and talents God has given me and with His help I can make a difference in the lives of many.
Secular counseling tends to seek only behavior modification but never gets down to the original issue. The root of negative behavior is sin. When a person seeks counseling it is for one of two reasons. Either sin in the individual’s own life or a sin committed against him by another is affecting him adversely. It is harder to understand difficult situations and move past them if one cannot understand sin and forgiveness. God is the ultimate counselor. It is not the job of individuals to save or “fix” others. It is their job to show others the love and forgiveness of Christ. Apart from God we are all hopeless, but with Him we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.
God has given each of his children special gifts as it says in 1 Corinthians, “28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.” If God has given us these gifts we need to use them for his glory. 1 Peter 4 says, “11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Secular counseling does not directly bring glory to God. Based on Isaiah 41:9, Spergeon said, “If we have received the grace of God in our hearts, its practical effect has been to make us God's servants.” If we are God’s servants, then we are to serve Him in all that we do.
By attending a Christian college I will be surrounded by God centered peers and instructors who will encourage me on this path. Rather than studying behavior modification and boosting self-esteem, I will be trained to focus on forgiveness of sin and finding worth in Christ. The particular gifts that God has given me leave me best suited for listening to others and showing them God’s love. I want to pursue the tools to strengthen these gifts so that they are most effective. My desire is to glorify God in all that I do and to be a part of revealing His glory to others. I believe that Southwestern College is the best environment for the nurturing and further discovery of these spiritual gifts.