The Signette

Oftentimes high school students become caught up in the agonizing loop of barely waking up in the morning, trudging through the day, spending hours in extracurriculars, and then passing out after finally returning home, doing whatever they can to keep their grades afloat. Tonight, we honor those who have stayed afloat. 

But keeping the grades high, and the parents happy, isn’t all of what scholarship is about. Scholarship is stewarding our God given gifts, our curiosity, the ability to learn, and the ability to help others learn, and using them to better understand the world we live  in and the awesomeness of God.  As our favorite psalmist, David, says to the choirmaster  in Psalm 19, “ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, night to night reveals knowledge.”  When we are seeking this knowledge and understanding His creation, we are merely thinking God’s thoughts after him, well after him.  We should be humbled by this, and it should only lead us to praise our great creator. 

With all that in mind,  a true scholar will realize that they aren’t the only one in the room,  they will seek to further improve the class atmosphere by helping others through godly stewardship of their gifts. The purpose of our good scholarship is not just success in our own lives, it is helping others gain a better understanding of God and His creation as well. Worldly success may come, but that is just a blessing from God that is also meant to be stewarded well. 

So, congratulations on doing well, enough, in school, but don’t get caught in the temptation to look back and see how well you did and how much hard work you put in to achieve these great things. Rather, take this time to celebrate and acknowledge the source of all your learning and success. Put your trust in the Lord and not in your own merit. His promised mercy will be your fort, your comfort and your sweet support.

Tonight we are celebrating the new members of the National Honor Society. One of the qualities of an NHS member is leadership. Being a leader at a Christian school requires you to be dedicated, humble, and willing to listen.

As Student Council President, I am dedicated to not just my work, but also to the people I work with. Being a dedicated leader is about guiding others towards a common goal, and using our dedication to motivate others. You must be focused on the work you are doing, while looking out and helping others. This is not an easy task.

One of the hardest, but most important parts of being a leader is learning how to be humble. Humility is being able to admit your mistakes and wrongdoings. It’s having the courage to face your faults, and accept them. A humble person is able to make compromises and ask for help when needed. Most importantly, humility is putting others first. Philippians 2:3-4 says “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This verse emphasizes the importance of putting others’ needs before your own. 

Lastly – and this sometimes surprises people – in order to lead, you must serve. Not every leadership position has you at the top ordering people around and telling them what to do. Some of the best leaders get their hands dirty and serve others. Even Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the smelly, dusty feet of his disciples.  Leadership is not just about serving others, but serving God and doing everything for his honor and glory. 

So as you go on to serve and lead in the school, remember to put others first, be dedicated to your work, and to lead by Godly example. 

When I think of service, my mind goes to Samwise Gamgee from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I could just talk about his bravery, but that would be missing the point of his courage. He’s brave for one reason: for Frodo. Whether the problem is that Frodo hasn’t eaten breakfast, or that Frodo can’t climb the rest of the way up to the top of Mordor, Samwise lives in humble service to Frodo.

While I don’t know your life, I know that I have never had to journey across the land to destroy the ultimate evil. But acts of service don’t need to be saving your best friend from a giant spider. They could be something big like organizing a group to clean up your city, or something smaller like making a meal for someone who’s had a hard day, or helping your little sister with her homework.

True, Godly service is rendered to everyone, not just the people you feel like serving. It can be really hard to serve people who are unlikeable. It can be hard to serve when we are tired or out of sorts. But service has a beautiful and unexpected reward; people feel happier when they serve others. This doesn’t make service a selfish pursuit; rather it makes it a self fulfilling pursuit, even beyond it being our call as Christians. 

Above all else, acts of service are selfless. Jesus is a perfect example of selflessness. His ultimate sacrifice was the ultimate service.  Being selfless isn’t about not valuing yourself at all, though; it’s about valuing others more than yourself. Service is, by design, sacrificial; that doesn’t mean that you can just sacrifice yourself over and over again. Service brings fulfillment, but it also heavily drains you. We all have our own crosses to bear, and we’re all merely human. It seems that if we focus on our own crosses at all, it’s impossible to help others at the same time. There is a balance to reach between sacrifice and service. That is where I can’t help you. Everyone has a different threshold for sacrifice; some higher, some lower. The moment you run out of self to sacrifice is the moment you run out of service to give. But we serve out of the overflow of Christ’s love which is endless.

To all of the inductees, you have already demonstrated a willingness to serve – after all, that was part of why you were chosen for this honor. But rather than feeling that you have arrived now, and no longer need to serve, let your membership in the National Honor Society spur you to greater acts of service, relying on Jesus for strength, honoring Him in all you do.  

Courage, trustworthiness, integrity, respect. These are just a few examples of values that make up good character. Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities which make up a person. These qualities are reflected not only in actions but in your thoughts and words. In the National Honor Society, good character is valued. Good character requires a conscious choice, a commitment and it is something that is to be honoring to God, not used for personal gain or selfish reasons. 

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” 

Good character is something to strive for. Having good character takes endurance. It is not developed overnight. Character is built on experiences. Good character is formed by persevering through difficult situations and failures with graciousness. Romans 5:3-5 says, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Think about how you act when there is no one watching. It is difficult to have good character all the time. Truly good character displays itself in the little things you do, the good things you do that no one sees, going the extra mile, showing God’s grace to those in your life. 

The world today preaches selfishness, greed, and jealousy. It is easy to slip these qualities into our character. Often, it is easier to follow the ways of the world, instead of the narrow path of God’s word. It is easy to quickly blame others, gossip, or bring others down. But we are called to love others and humbly put their needs first. This takes strength, selflessness, and respect.

Jesus painted the perfect image of character in his walk on earth. Although we are sinful beings, broken and ugly, we are called to live as Jesus did. We are called to be righteous as he is righteous. 2 Timothy 2:22 says “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

By being inducted into the National Honor Society, you all have shown to have good character. As you finish your high school years, I want to encourage all of you to pursue good character in all areas of your life. It won’t be easy. And you can’t do it alone. It is only by the grace of God that you will slowly grow in Godly character.

Here at Phil-Mont, we are proud of the many students that embody the National Honor Society pillars of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. However, we include a 5th pillar, a pillar that all of us here tonight should strive to epitomize in our everyday lives. That is the pillar of Christ-Centeredness. 

The phrase “be more like Christ” is used quite a bit, whether it be in church, chapel, or our daily devotions. As we all know, trying to be like the only human to ever live a perfect, sinless life is an impossible standard. However, scripture reminds us that when we are in Christ we are redeemed and are given the Holy Spirit to help us in our weaknesses. So, how can we be Christ-centered in our redeemed yet imperfect state?

First, recognize God in everything you do. Our abilities, our stories, our blessings, they are all from God. As James 1:17 tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” We must realize that without God, we are nothing. 2 Peter 1:3 reminds us, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” In Christ, we are equipped with everything we need to live a godly life. 

Second, be motivated by Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions. We often don’t leave enough room for Christ in our Christianity. We boast in our ability to keep the law, be a “good person”, and the traditions of our religion. Our faith should not be defined by these things, but by Jesus. A Christ-centered life is motivated by an intimate relationship with Christ. If we aren’t worshiping him, we are naturally worshiping something else. As Paul writes in Philippians 3, he wants to know God and the power of his resurrection, share his sufferings, and become like him in his death. Like Paul, we should seek to know God and be a part of his work for his glory.

Third, make sure Jesus always gets the glory. Whether that be success in sports, music, school, or your careers, make sure the glory is always being directed to Jesus, recognizing that he is the source of your success. Glorifying God directs others to him. Submit every attainable goal to Christ so that he may give you direction and we are not led astray by our selfish aspirations.

Finally, a Christ-centered life reflects a life of faith that is anchored in our ultimate hope. In Hebrews 6:19 hope is actually called the ‘anchor of the soul’. Hope in Jesus’ promise of our salvation in Him. Hope in the promise of his return and the cleansing of our sin. Hope in the promise that he is preparing a place for us in heaven. If we live our lives resting on the hope of these promises, we will find peace and direction amidst the chaos of this world.

I have had the privilege of spending my days at Phil-Mont with Christ-Centered christians, both students and teachers, many who are here tonight. I cannot fully express the impact those people have had on my life and my walk with the Lord. Your teachers selected you to the NHS because they see Christ in your words and actions. I do not tell you this so you can feel prideful or superior to others, but so you can be reminded that what you do and say is a reflection of Christ in your heart and so you can be inspired to bring others to the Lord. We can’t be completely like Christ, but when we center our life on him, we become more like him. 

So, take a look at your life. Is it Christ-Centered? Do you recognize God’s work in your life? Is he your motivation? Is it your goal to glorify him in everything you do? Is he your hope, both for today and for eternity?