A message to our young people
“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecc. 12-1).
The Bible abounds with examples of young people who served the Lord from youth to old age, faithfully, and joyfully. There was Abraham, who left his home and kin, to wander for the rest of his life, because he had faith in what God had promised him, and that he was prepared to endure, come what may, for this belief. After God called him, his whole life was devoted to the service of God, insomuch that it earned him that most enviable title “the friend of God”. By his example and actions, all nations whereinsoever he journeyed, gave honour and glory to the God of Abraham, and although he did not receive the promises in his life-time, he did not waver in his service to God, convinced that what God had promised He was able to perform, even to the resurrection from the dead.
The young Joseph, cruelly torn from his home and family into a life of slavery, served his God with a pure heart, and a firm conscience, and through all his trials and tribulations, his faith remained firm. Although it must have seemed as though God had cast him off and forsaken him, Joseph still sought him, and when he stood before Pharaoh and his court, boldly proclaimed the Power and Majesty of his God. Adversity did not embitter him, but gave him some of the loving nature of his Creator, hence his loving forgiveness of his erring brethren, and, one must assume, his forgiveness of Potiphar’s deceitful and lying wife. So sure was his faith that he gave directions as to the carrying up of his bones, hundreds of years hence.
Then there were Joshua and Caleb, young men whose unremitting faith and service, brought them into the promised land, the only two of all those who came out of Egypt to do so, for even Moses and Aaron, did not pass over Jordan. To a stiff-necked, idol-inclined people, did Joshua emphatically declare, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24-15). So from his youth, until he died in a good old age, Joshua remained faithful, fighting the battles of the Lord. The fact that his words fell on apparently deaf ears did not stop him from being a witness for God.
The young Samuel served the Lord all the days of his life. He was not afraid to speak out for his God, or condemn the evil ways of Israel. He feared neither the wrath of the King nor of the people, but spoke the word fearlessly. And David, whose youth brought derisive laughter from the mighty Goliath, went out to meet this huge, heavily armoured giant, with nothing but a few pebbles and a sling, and his trust in the Lord his God. He was not dismayed or discouraged by this show of might, for the Lord God was his strength. You know, we all have to face our own Goliaths as we go through life, the Goliaths of Self and Apathy. Are we going to face up to them, and overcome them in the strength of the Lord (as David did), or be overcome by them? Meditate on the words of David, “the Lord is on my side, I will not fear what man can do unto me” (Ps. 118-6). David did not have life easy, although chosen by God, so neither must we expect to have ease and plain sailing. Even the Lord Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered; for whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth.
There were also Miriam, Ruth and Esther, whose loving devotion and service have made them household words even today. The gentle Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, who was so honoured by God that she should be the mother of His Son; for God chooses those whose hearts are right. regardless of sex or nationality.
John the Baptist, preached the word fearlessly, preparing the way of the Lord. Completely selfless and dedicated, six months older than Jesus, he was brutally murdered for his convictions, for he would not compromise when it came to the choice between the Word of God, and the desires of man. He died a young man, but he accomplished what he was sent to do. We may think that we also are just voices in the wilderness, unheeded and unheard, but, like John, our task is to prepare the way of the Lord in this world of violence and sin, regardless of apparent apathy and opposition.
The Lord Jesus Christ whose whole life was spent in the service of God. Where would we be if Jesus had said to the Father, “what is the use of me preaching the Kingdom, the people will not listen, and are completely uninterested, they only deride what I say?”. He was despised, hated, jeered at: often tired and hungry, misunderstood even by those closest to Him, yet he never ceased to spread the Word. If the harvest was but one repentant soul, He rejoiced, and regarded all His tribulations as worthwhile.
In this era of “you must do your own thing”, when in the schools you are taught that you have an inalienable right to experience every emotion, be it sex, drugs, or whatever, you who have become the Brethren and Sisters of Christ must look at the example He set. He did not please Himself, but did whatsoever the Father commanded Him, and if you would be like Him, you must be prepared to follow His example and serve God in His Way: to serve the Lord in the beauty of holiness, pure and undefiled, with zeal and enthusiasm. If you stop to think about the life of Jesus, you find that never once did He allow His personal desires to take precedence over the will of the Father, but was obedient even unto death. He preached in season and out of season, nothing preventing Him. Are you doing the same?
What if the Apostle Paul had dropped his bundle and said “Lord, the job you have sent me to do is nothing but a waste of time. Nobody listens, or wants to hear the words of salvation. As a matter of fact, they are very much opposed to it. Let’s give it up as a bad job?”. Where would be the wonderful letters that give us so much help, hope and encouragement? He, and the Brethren and Sisters with him, suffered and endured great perils and hardships, hunger, thirst, imprisonments and beatings, but they still carried on. They were not discouraged or deterred by opposition or derision. One thinks of the young Stephen, Timothy and all those other young folk, who served the Lord, many of them dying horrible deaths for their convictions.
When you read of these young people, from Genesis to Revelation, of their devotion, dedication, and service, how does it affect you? You young folk who have answered the call of God to come out of the world, to leave the comforts and pleasures of the broad road, to seek a Kingdom of promise –
what does it do to you? Does it inspire you into action to defeat your Goliaths of Self and Apathy, and to rise up and proclaim the salvation of God, in season and out of season? Having passed through the waters of Baptism, just as Joshua passed through the waters of Jordan, are you prepared to fight for the promised land? The words of the Lord are as sure today as they were when spoken to Joshua, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Josh. 1-9). God needs servants of action. You young men of today, who will be the elders of tomorrow, what are you doing to prepare yourselves to hold up on high the Light of Truth? If the Lord delays His coming, into your hands will be entrusted the privilege of proclaiming the God of Israel and His salvation. You young Sisters, who now have so many opportunities, what are you doing? You are all capable of taking up a pen and writing words of encouragement and exhortation. Why not get down to work and do it? In my young days, sisters were seen but NEVER heard (I have been baptised over 50 years), but now that you have been given the golden opportunity to witness for Christ, see that you USE it. In God’s eyes, you are His daughters, and He expects from you the same effort as from sons. Let your voices be heard in the constructive upbuilding of the faith, to the glory of God, and to the honour of His Son.
Rise up! you young folk, and like the young people of ages long since gone, help to build a world wherein people will know and see the glory and majesty of God, and reverence His Holy Name. Example is the greatest teacher of all, so, so order your lives both in the world about you and in the Ecclesia, that you become effective witnesses to the fact that Christ dwells in you. Who is on the Lord’s side? Then rise up, and go forward in the strength of the Lord, preaching the Word and the Kingdom of God. Let your voices be heard, for “through God we shall do valiantly, for He it is that shall tread down our enemies”. (Ps. 60-12).
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay