Your graduates are now educated, BUT …

I’m “pro” education.

Personally, I’ve earned three degrees and feel every day the need to keep learning. And I encourage people, young and old, to take advantage of educational opportunities and continuing their learning throughout their lives.

Graduation is a time to celebrate! The graduates have worked hard, applied themselves, and likely have grown as a person, expanded their knowledge, and stretched their understanding.

Your graduates are now educated, BUT are they equipped for life?

In America, and much of the Western world, we’ve concluded that seeing that our children receive a good education is the highest priority for parents.

It isn’t.

Making sure your children enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in the grace and knowledge of God is the highest priority of parenting. If you raise a genius that passes through this world never knowing Jesus Christ, your child will come to the worse possible end.

Graduation is a time to celebrate, but if your graduate doesn’t know Jesus, the most important education is yet to be attained.

There’s a story about a young man who was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car, and knowing his father could afford it, he told his dad on several occasions that it was all he wanted.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, the young man’s father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. Then he handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” And then he stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible behind.

Many years passed and the young man had become very successful in business. He had a wonderful family and beautiful home, but realized his father was getting quite old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen his father since that graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, the young man received notice that his father had passed away, and that he needed to come home immediately to take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages when a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, and on the tag was the date of his graduation along with the words, “Paid in full.”

Parents like to heap rewards upon their graduates, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But make sure your graduate is educated in the Word of God to equip them for life. It will provide them with the greatest education they’ll ever need.

Scotty