It’s the time of year when young men and women enter the season of adulthood – or in other words: the workforce.  It’s also when many of us begin to hear new words of wisdom trickling in from commencement speakers with all kinds of philosophies and agendas.

You’ll hear it as you attend the graduation of a friend, a relative, or even yourself. But before you start taking “positive” advice to heart – first think about where these words are coming from.

Much of the advice coming from the world will seem good on the surface, but where will this form of wisdom direct us?  When it comes to the most important message, are we going to hear it from the most influential people in the western world?  Or can we only find it in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Here are a few quotes from some recent commencement speakers. Try finding the difference between how the world views a life of success and how Christ views a life of purpose:

What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life. When you’re supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know.”

– Oprah Winfrey (Stanford University, 2008)

 

“You may learn sooner than most generations the hard lesson that you must always make the path for yourself… so if you must find your own path and we have left you no easy path, decide now to choose the hard path that leads to the life and the world that you want.”

– Stephen Colbert (University of Virginia, 2013)

 

“Don’t let yourself be trapped by dogma … which is living with the results of other’s thinking.”

– Steve Jobs (Stanford University, 2005)

“Preach the Gospel to yourself.  Share the Gospel with others. It is joy, peace, and good news that comes from Christ alone. Then you will be an ambassador for Christ in a very dark world.”

– Charles Morris (Providence Christian College, 2013)

 

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4-7