Everybody that is a child knows that there are limitations in your life when you are young. Those of you who have passed that point also understand that, because adulthood has a lot more freedom than childhood does, even from the moment you graduate from high school. At that point, you can live on your own wherever you want to, pay your own bills, buy groceries, and make pretty much any decision that you want. This means that you have a lot more power over your life than kids do.
This has been on my heart a lot, because I am almost in a transition stage in my life from childhood to adulthood. With my senior year about to begin, I am looking forward to what comes after graduation, and what step is next in my life. I have begun considering colleges, majors, and careers, as well as some big ideas such as the possibility of living in a dorm, away from home and all comfort. These freedoms can seem scary, but it is such a blessing, because it means that you can surrender to God and allow him to show you where you can best serve him for the rest of your life here on earth.
For a child that is growing in their faith, however, it can be frustrating to see how many limitations there are. If you don’t have a job, you cannot financially help your church or community. Without a license, you cannot volunteer regularly on your own, or easily give of your time to where it is needed. Most importantly, the lack of experience can be especially discouraging, because it is easy to feel like you don’t know enough about the Bible to actually make an impact in the kingdom.
The beautiful thing, however, is everybody has the ability to glorify God in their own season of life, including your youth. Whether you are still in high school, currently in college, or a young adult trying to find their path, there are so many unique opportunities that God has gifted us that nobody else has. In addition, there are so many young people in the Bible that were used to further the kingdom of God.
Commandment for the Young
When this topic is brought up, the verse that is used the most often is 1 Timothy 4:12, which says, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” This book was written by Paul to Timothy, who was a young pastor in Ephesus. Timothy went with Paul in his second missionary journey, and this was one of the letters that Paul wrote to lead Timothy as he was leading his church. With that being said, this verse’s context relates to a young pastor who was trying to build the church, despite his lack of experience.
In a devotional aspect, this passage can relate to any young person, especially at the age where people can struggle to take you seriously. I can say with confidence that the more you are mirroring Jesus, the harder it is for people to blow you off on account of your age. In fact, seeing someone in this generation being so bold in faith and unashamed of the Gospel is more rare than ever, and definitely would draw attention.
I would argue that we are in the most sinful generation, and are (unfortunately) a very good example of the Laodicean time period we are in. If we are setting an example like 1 Timothy says, then we will shine so bright against the present darkness all around us. We are told to be an example “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” This means that we should reflect Christ in what we say, what we do, how we love, in our faith, and through our purity in life. This may seem at first like a lot of pressure, but how amazing is it that we are able to be a light, even at such a young age!
Speech: Have any of you heard the speech of our generation? Hanging out with the lost always makes me sad, because I can immediately tell from what they say that they have no hope. Our generation is so good at gossiping, cursing, and hurting people with our words, and even better at convincing ourselves that it is acceptable. Hearing somebody choose to edify others with their words and lift others up in truth stands out among that crowd.
Conduct: This is what we do. Anything ranging from big life decisions to everyday tasks that seem mundane can be used to glorify God. If your conduct is led by selflessness, humility, and patience, the heart attitude behind it will be such an amazing example of Christ. This is something that we can be practicing every moment of every day!
Love: Love stemming from God is so different from the love of the world, because it requires endless amounts of sacrifice and an unconditional heart for others. I have learned that this love is so strong, and unattainable without God leading you. Therefore, people are going to recognize the way you love if you love like Jesus did.
Faith: The world lacks so much faithfulness, because our culture tells us to focus on ourselves first, and anybody that doesn’t make your path to success easier needs to be cut out and forgotten about. Jesus was so faithful to us when he died on the cross to save us like he promised, and was faithful enough to the Jews to not forget the promises he made to God’s people in the Old Testament (Romans 9-11). Having strong, bold faith in the Lord and showing faithfulness to others is a beautiful example to set.
Purity: This word seems to turn off a lot of people the second it is mentioned, a lot of people think about abstinence and how we have to be completely stiff when it comes to any type of relationship. In reality, purity is in our heart, and everything we do in relationships stems from that heart attitude. I could talk about purity forever, but choosing to stay pure in the eyes of the Lord instead of giving into the hookup culture can really shock people.
Notice how none of these had any age restrictions; we can be an example of these things at any point in our life!
Notable Youths in the Bible
If this isn’t enough to convince you that age has nothing to do with God wanting to use you, there are many examples in Scripture where the Lord uses children and young adults to fulfill his promises and further his kingdom. I want to mention a few of the bigger names in Scripture because it is so easy to forget that these people were the same age as some of us!
David
You are all familiar with David: he was the youngest of many sons, and because of that, many people didn’t take him and his youth seriously. In fact, when he was anointed king, he was only 15 years old! When Samuel came to Jesse’s house to find the next king, God told him this, “‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7) Even though David’s older brothers looked older and more qualified in the eyes of the world, God had to remind Samuel that the heart is the most important part of a person. David’s age did not disqualify him from receiving the promises that God had given him, and his heart is what allowed God to work in and through him.
Mary
One mind-blowing fact that I did not know about Mary until about a year ago is that she was only 13-14 when God told her that she would give birth to a Savior! This is a part of Mary’s story that I feel gets overlooked way too often. God could have given this mission to somebody more experienced. Think about it: it would have made so much more sense for God to choose an experienced mother that already knew how to give birth and raise a child. She would have done it all pretty much flawlessly, because it is something she had experience with. So why choose a girl that has absolutely no idea how to do any of this? Mary risked so much when she chose to obey God. She wasn’t married, and being pregnant before marriage was a big “no” at the time in all of society, so her entire reputation was on the line. She understood that she was risking being cast out from society, and could have been forced to raise the savior of the world all on her own. It took so much faith for Mary to obey God’s commands, and to raise a child in her conditions.
Just because we have less experience in life does not mean that we are not able to be used by God. All that he asks is for us to have a heart willing to obey and do what we are commanded to do. This means that there is no restriction for who God can and will use.
In fact, there are many situations in life where younger people are the only people that can do specific things. For example, the classes you are in, as well as the sports and clubs you are a part of, are filled with so many lost people that don’t understand the hope that is in you. You are given opportunities with them literally every single day for a semester or a year, or even multiple years, which is something that nobody else will ever get. One of the reasons why God uses anybody and everybody is because certain people can reach certain people. There are some people in my life that I struggle talking to, simply because we are so different and don’t get along naturally. However, I have friends and mentors that are able to reach those people and draw them to Christ, because they get along easier. Some people that are in your clubs, teams, or classes do not have any other Christian in their life to be a light, because you have unique interests. This is beautiful, because you have been given the opportunity to reach out to people that other believers would never be able to do. A lot of people our age have closer bonds to their peers than adults, and so we hold a unique responsibility to be a light for our generation, and to love them in ways that many other generations cannot. Not only will God use the youth, but he also desires to see us all come to faith and be able to lead our generation to the cross.
With school coming up, God is giving you dozens upon dozens of opportunities to love the people around you, and to witness to them. For some of those people, you are the only one with the ability to reach out to them. Don’t let your youth be an opportunity for you to be lukewarm, but instead let it motivate you. We have been given so many unique opportunities, and have our own sets of talents and skills that we can use for the glory of God.
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