NEW ORLEANS (BP)–President Chuck Kelley warned members of the graduating class at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to guard their hearts.
Drawing from Proverbs 4:23, Kelley cautioned against neglecting the “habits of the heart” during the seminary’s 87th graduation exercises. During the May 14 ceremony, NOBTS awarded 151 master’s and doctoral degrees; on Friday, May 13, the seminary’s Leavell College awarded another 216 undergraduate degrees and certificates. The total graduating class of 367 is one of the largest classes in NOBTS history.
Kelley said it is easy for ministers to become so absorbed with ministry that they fail to cultivate intimacy with God. This intimacy with God, he said, must be the core of every believer’s life.
“Left unguarded, left unwatched, it is the deterioration of that core that can undo everything we spend a lifetime doing,” he said.
To illustrate his point, Kelley told of how a destructive variety of termites came to New Orleans in the 1950s. The formosan termite arrived in the city undetected on a boat bringing goods to the Port of New Orleans. Since then, the small insects have cost the city millions of dollars in repairs. The seminary has not been immune from the ravages of the formosan termites -– major repairs have been required to several campus buildings.
“The termites came in such an innocent way and no one even knew they were here,” Kelley said. “The federal government thinks that the formosan termites may go down as the single-most destructive pest in the history of the United States.”
Kelley held up a cross-section of a large oak tree from the seminary campus. Only a few inches of wood remained on the outer portion of the tree. The middle had been completely eaten away by formosan termites. The tree had fallen — unable to support its own weight.
“As you see, it has no heart. It has no middle,” Kelley said, holding up the cross-section of wood. “These are very small little bugs, but left alone over time, they can be absolutely devastating in their impact.”
A similar thing happens to ministers who fail to cultivate their relationship with God, he said. Ministers never plan to leave their spouses, they never plan to disappoint their churches and families, Kelley said.
“You can see something like that happens in your life when you fail to guard your heart,” Kelley said. “Above all things, keep your heart diligent for out of it flow the issues of life … the rivers of life.”
Kelley gave the graduates three keys for guarding their hearts: frequently examine the heart, live in obedience to God’s Word and stay passionately in love with Jesus.
“How do we guard our heart? First of all by examining it,” he said. “We get so busy we stop asking God to give us a report card on the state of our soul. Guard it by giving it attention.”
If ministers regularly examine their hearts for sin, they can avoid the tragic problems that stem from an unchecked life.
Kelley said that a second way to guard the heart is through obedient living. He warned against focusing on the avoidance of sin. The focus, he said, should be on following what the Bible says.
“Build your life around a commitment to absolutely obey the Word of God even when it ruffles your feathers,” Kelley said. “Focus your attention on obeying the Word and you will keep a pure, guarded heart.”
Kelley closed by encouraging the graduates to stay passionately in love with their Savior. He admonished them to remember the price Jesus paid on the cross and the forgiveness He offered.
“Keep your eyes on the cross and know that the Savior who died for the sins of the world has died for your sins,” Kelley said. “Find in His passion for you your passion.
“It is in that passion for Jesus that you will find yourself borne above all the stresses and trials and demands of life,” he said. “You will find yourself constantly wrapped in the love of God.”
Students in the graduating class earned degrees from 34 different programs including nine specialized master of divinity degrees involving specializations in biblical languages, Christian education, Christian thought, collegiate ministry, expository preaching, missions, people group strategies, psychology and counseling, and urban missions. Twenty-two graduates earned doctoral degrees.
During the May 13 service, special recognition was given to 66 graduates who could not be in attendance. These men, receiving associates and bachelor’s degrees, are inmates at the Angola (La.) State Penitentiary.
The prisoners who earn the accredited degrees are serving as ministers in the sprawling maximum security prison complex. They have started churches behind the bars and have led many of the fellow inmates to faith in Christ. On May 17 seminary and Leavell College officials traveled to Angola for a graduation ceremony with the men.
–30–
