Were you graded on your schoolwork? Was this your primary motivation, or were you more interested in mastery of the subject matter? Did you see some students who were naturally bright and to whom learning came easily, who got good grades and seemed indifferent to the material they were learning? Were there others who struggled yet were determined to know the subject? Academic credit is a construct of this world, not the one above. Do you delight in learning? Delight also in putting your knowledge into practice, for learning information makes you responsible for it.

Do you make confident assertions about your future plans? Have you ever had a disruption intervene in what you intended to do? Perhaps you should adopt more humility in your planning process. For your life is but a vapor, and your future activities are subject to influences that you cannot control. It is better that you should not vow, than to vow and be unable to carry it out. It is good for you to make plans, but consult me in your planning process, and then leave room for me to intervene in the execution. Have you ever done this?

Do you live with a sense of destiny? You can succeed by the standards of the world around you in the amount of money you can make, accumulate, and spend, but does this by itself fill your life with meaning and purpose? Your destiny may be attached to the way you earn your living, but then again, it may not be. Do you find greater satisfaction in a bank balance, or in knowing that you were put here to make a unique contribution to make the world a better place? The world is groaning in travail for the manifestation of the destiny of the sons and daughters of God. I am too.

Do you go to the best church in town? Your neighbor may have a better car, but if so he probably paid more money for it and that is a consideration, but churches typically open their doors to all comers without cost, so price is not a factor in choosing the best church. How do you regard those who made a different choice? Is it easier to accept people who choose different cars than it is to accept people who choose different churches? From my perspective there is one body of Christ.