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Dr. Sam Luboga
Associate Professor Anatomy
Associate Dean Education
Faculty of Medicine
As a teacher in the medical school for the last 28 years and Associate
Dean Education for the last 3 years, I have had the privilege to celebrate with
many generations of excited students who have excelled academically. I have
also had to counsel several others who have failed to excel. I always wonder
what could have happened. They are all admitted with such high grades! All that
they need to do to excel is to prayerfully work hard. It never ceases to
disappoint me to see that some of those that require counseling are born-again
Christians. Academic excellence means performing well in our studies as
students and for the rest of our lives. Without it we cannot be experts or
provide safe and effective service. It is only such service that will bring
honour and praise to God.
What is our calling? We are
called to serve:
·
In Isaiah 6:8-9, God asked “Whom shall I send? Who will be our
messenger?” On our behalf Isaiah said “Here I am. Send me”.
·
Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 gave us the great commission. He said: “I
have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all people
everywhere and make them my disciples: ... and teach them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age”.
Bringing people to Christ and, therefore, giving them a chance for their souls to be saved, is the essence of our calling. Academia, Research and service are merely vehicles: means to an end. However, you need to be adequately equipped for these roles or else you will appear as a mediocre unsuitable for your calling.
Academic excellence is to be expected of us – believers in Jesus for he said, in Matthew 5:
·
Verse 3: Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
·
Verse 5: Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth
·
Verse 7: Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy
·
Verse 9: Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
I would like to think that as Christians we possess all these attributes and therefore can claim all these blessings as our own. Academic excellence is expected of us as a way of accounting for the abundance of blessings we have received.
It is we who have learnt from
reading the Bible that: “There is a time for everything” – Eccl. 3:1-8. A wise
person, a believer in Christ, will not be expected to spend valuable academic
time following acts of the sinful nature listed in Galatians 5:19-21: “Sexual
immorality, impurity, filthy and indecent actions, worship of idols and
witchcraft. Hatred, discord, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension etc”
In the same way sons and daughters of God are expected to be blessed
with good judgment. They are not expected to spend all their time in worship
and none on studies. To us studying should be an extension of worship. It is
means of enabling us to fulfill our calling.
It is written in:
·
Romans 2:24 “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of
you”. Because of what we do or fail to do.
·
2 Cor. 3:2- “You yourselves are the letter, written on our hearts,
known and read by everyone”
There are many people who will never go to church or read the bible.
Their only impression of God is what they will see in us, believers. In excelling we
distinguish Christ. It hurts to hear people blaming poor performance among us
on our faith in Christ and on the inordinate
amount of time we spend in praise and worship to the total neglect of our
academic responsibilities. Remember we are being watched and should not
allow the name of God to be discredited among the unbelievers because of our
poor performance.
Let’s listen to St. Paul’s advice in:
·
Romans 12:1-2 “So my brothers and sisters, because of God’s great mercy
to us I appeal to you: offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing
to him. The true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to
the standards of this world, but let
God transform you inwardly by a complete transformation of your mind. Then you
will be able to know the will of God
– what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect”. You will be able to truly know your calling.
·
1Cor. 9:24-26 – “...Run (study) in such a way that as to win
the prize (academic excellence). Every athlete (student) in training
submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath (degree)
that will not last; but we do it for one that will last for ever. That is why
we run a straight for the finishing line (not
like a man running aimlessly); that is why I am like a boxer who does not
waste any punches (not fight like a man
beating the air).” Consider your calling and single mindedly pursue it by
ensuring excellence in all you do.
You are urged by St. Paul in Ephesians 4:1 to live lives worthy of your
calling. Remember you are God’s
flagships.
May
God bless you always.