Jimmy Griffith shares Jeremiah 13 with PCA students

By: Anna Scott, PCA junior

On September 6, Jimmy Griffith, the youth pastor at Rehoboth Missionary Baptist Church, spoke to the PCA student body about dealing with tough times. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.’” This verse teaches us that in the midst of tough times we can stay calm because we know that God has a beautiful plan for our lives. These plans are to give us a hope and a future. In the midst of our darkest times, God is still the light of the world. He remains the same even when everything is changing. He reminded the students that in order to remember this, we must stay connected to God. Prayer is one of the best ways to stay connected to Him. We get to talk to the best counselor in the world: the God of the universe. We must remember to be still and know that He is God, which means that we cannot busy ourselves to the point where we cannot spend time with Him. He must be our main focus; any other thing or person that becomes our main focus becomes our idol. During tough times, it is also incredibly important to stay committed to God. These tough times are distractions, but if we look to God in the middle of our darkest times, He will use these situations to further His kingdom and create something beautiful. One of the best ways to stay connected is to get plugged into the body of Christ. A church body can help hold you accountable and surround you with the love of Christ during times when you may feel alone. We cannot forget that living every day for God’s glory will also keep us incredibly connected to Him. Griffith challenged the students to “Live differently! If the God who breathed the stars is living in you, why would you want to live the same? God never changes. He loves you, and He wants to help you fight through these tough times. All you have to do is stay calm, stay connected, and stay committed.”