how to choose between studying and serving

Well there's not much to say, except that these paragraphs really supplied me today. One week into grad school; it's already pretty rigorous. There's a lot more pressure than I expected. So this afternoon I dropped into the sofa and was considering how to allocate my time between recruiting events, classes, meetings, etc. But I was reminded of this chapter, and reading it again it was very helpful to me. There was something like Isaiah 40 taking place. Anyway, I don't usually post large block quotes, but I couldn't let this one escape. Please enjoy...

Question: What should I do if I have the heart to serve but am still in school and feel that my studies are a distraction?

Answer: This is a difficult question. The Bible says that as Moses was educated in the palace in Egypt, he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). Can we say the same thing of ourselves? Of course, at the time Moses was being educated, he had not been saved or consecrated himself to the Lord, nor was there a church meeting hall in the Egyptian palace. He simply focused on his studies in order to finish his education properly; he was not called until later. Hence, he did not have the problem of the so-called distraction of studying. Many young brothers and sisters today, however, have been saved, revived, and called before graduating from university.

This is not a difficult matter for a believer who desires to remain in the world. After all, such a believer has already been saved and will not go to hell. He may be likened to an Israelite who lived in Egypt and loved the world, but who remained an Israelite and therefore could not be hurt by the plagues. In the future this world-loving believer will not go to hell, and in the meantime he has a university education and a Ph.D. Is this not a double gain? Some brothers and sisters do have this kind of wishful thinking. No matter how you try to persuade them, they will always tell you to do your own accounting and let them do theirs. I am afraid that sometimes you may even be persuaded by their speaking and will think that it is reasonable.

For those believers who plan to live in the world, studying in a university is not a problem but rather has many benefits. First, such believers may have no vices; they may not gamble, smoke, or drink. Many people have become successful in the world in this way. They are Christians and have been saved, but they still live in Egypt. A Christian who is in the world and who loves the world may be a most clever and successful person. For this kind of person, studying has many benefits. There are even some people who believe in Jesus after hearing a gospel that includes salvation and success in the world. This is not bad; it was the same in the case of Moses, who was an Israelite and at the same time studied in the palace in Egypt and obtained a successful career.

Another kind of person who has no difficulty studying in a university is a believer who consecrates himself absolutely. For such a believer education is not a problem because he always puts serving God first. If God gives him permission to study, he studies diligently; if God does not permit him to study, he stops his studying. If God allows him to become successful in his studies, he is successful; if God does not allow him to be successful, he is not successful. This kind of person always takes God into consideration; he does not insist on anything of his own.

The most difficult kind of person to be is someone who has been called by God to come out of Egypt but whose heart still desires to remain in the palace. Being this kind of person is the most difficult thing. On the one hand, such a person thinks, “If I leave Egypt and enter into the wilderness, I will have only manna to enjoy. Furthermore, this manna comes only from heaven; therefore, I will have to rely on God for everything.” On the other hand, he also feels that if he does not consecrate himself absolutely, he will be troubled within.

Genuine Christians are generally divided into these three categories. It is not difficult to be on one side or the other side; what is difficult is to be in the middle. It is not difficult to be either black or white; the most difficult thing is to be gray. The Christian who suffers the most is one who does not love the Lord and yet has a desire to love Him, one who does not love education and yet is not able to give it up, one who is not willing to abandon the world completely and yet is afraid of not being qualified to enter into the kingdom in the future. To those who consecrate themselves absolutely, nothing is a suffering because they consider everything as God’s arrangement. No matter how difficult and trying their environment is and regardless of whether others get a promotion or a raise in salary, they are not affected; they simply follow the Lord absolutely.

A hundred years ago it was said that if John Nelson Darby had not been a Christian, he would certainly have been successful in some way or another. Perhaps in literature or politics he could have been quite accomplished. This shows that if a person who genuinely consecrates himself were to instead be in the world, he might have no ordinary future. Yet because such a person treasures the spiritual things, serving God is more important and precious to him than any future he could have in the world. For example, Moses did not give up Egypt thoughtlessly. He chose to be ill-treated with the people of God, considering the reproach of the Christ greater riches than his position and future in Egypt (Heb. 11:25-26). He did this after he had counted the cost. When we go to a store to buy something, we always count the cost, considering whether it is too expensive or whether it is worth the price. The reason Moses could abandon everything in Egypt was that he had properly counted the cost.

Similarly, Paul considered all things as refuse (Phil. 3:7-8) after he had carefully counted the cost. He placed Christ alongside all things, weighing and comparing them both. After his calculation, one was found to be precious and worth the price, and the other was counted as refuse. Hence, he abandoned one and treasured the other. Two things must be compared and weighed before we can choose between them. Therefore, consecration requires paying a price, and forsaking something also requires paying a price. On the one hand, within us there is a demand of life; the spiritual life within us gives us a demand, requiring us to consecrate ourselves to the Lord. On the other hand, we must count the cost and be willing to forsake everything other than the Lord.

It is indeed wonderful for a believer who has been called by the Lord to be successful in his studies, but if he does not consecrate himself to the Lord, he will not feel comfortable within. There are some who will not feel at peace or at rest if they do not consecrate themselves. There are others who calculate, thoroughly weighing and comparing the Lord against the things of the world. In other words, they place Christ alongside the world and weigh the two, considering whether they want a future in the world or the spiritual reward. Many are in the church today because they have calculated in this way.

There was a prominent British politician named William Gladstone who was also a Christian. He served as prime minister and achieved great success in politics. Near the end of his life, someone asked him how he felt about his success. He replied, “Although I have been an important person, have become a pillar in the platform of British politics, and have spent much time and energy for England, my heart aches for the past days. If I had three lives today, I would spend each life by going out to preach the gospel.” This is the comparison that he gave.

A future in the world is valuable, but a spiritual future is even more valuable. We must weigh them both carefully. However, this does not mean that if you pursue the Lord, you should not study. You should study diligently and do your duty properly within the measure of the Lord’s leading. Hence, you must resolve this question of education in your consecration. For instance, there are two saints in the Philippines, one who studied at a famous medical university and the other at the best engineering school. However, because of the Lord’s need, today both of them are willing to let go of their education. This is their calculation, but it does not mean that everyone should do the same. We have no intention of asking the saints to give up their studies. Rather, we are saying that all the saints must resolve the question of their consecration; if they will do this, all other problems will spontaneously be resolved. No one can imitate another person; we can only learn to be held accountable to the Lord. (Witness Lee, The Bridge and Channel of God, pp.53-57)