California Baptist University has emphasized spending time with God through prayer, worship and time in the Word.
Reading the Bible remained a core belief of the Christian faith. Following Christ could be difficult if someone did not know Him, and it proved especially important for college students trying to find their place in the world.
Dr. Angela Mosteller, adjunct professor of Christian studies, spoke about the importance of reading the Bible, noting that it had transformative effects on the mind and life and helped readers grow in their faith.
“As we understand more about who God is, who Jesus is, it helps us to grow in our desire to be more like Him,” Mosteller said.
Leila Kessler, sophomore nursing major, spoke about the powerful changes she experienced from spending time in the Bible.
“It provides you a lens to walk through your day with [and] kind of shapes your actions,” Kessler said.
She added that reading the Bible went beyond growing closer to God and served as an act of obedience. Stewarding the time God gave her remained important and represented her faith and dedication to Him.
“You’re getting into the Word is just a simple act of obedience that is going to allow you to perform better in all the other things that you’re doing,” Kessler said.
This transformative work did not have to occur at a specific time and could happen whenever someone made time for it. Madison McAlister, freshman elementary education major, expanded on this idea.
“That’s when I find it most beneficial, is when I’ve been awake for hours and just [have] a stable mind,” McAlister said.
McAlister said she did not measure her time with God by the time of day but by the quality and attention she gave Him. One way she ensured time with God involved listening to Bible readings and encouraging others to schedule time with Him to make it a priority.
“It’s great to have spontaneous moments with the Lord, but also, He’s important enough to schedule out time for,” McAlister said.
Kessler agreed on the importance of scheduling time with the Lord and said setting alarms helped remind her to set aside time with God.
Mosteller also suggested the importance of spending time with fellow believers. As people read the Bible and gained knowledge from its words, others in the community could offer insight from their own reading.
“I think it’s really important because you find accountability there, you learn from others, things that maybe you didn’t see in scripture,” Mosteller said.
Whether students sought new ways to grow closer to the Lord or struggled to remain in the Word, many believed the most important step involved continuing to seek God. By showing up and spending time with Him, they believed they would find that He had already been at work.
