…Before your head hits the pillow… I am spending the next few evenings with my husband and three grandchildren in a Grand Rapids hotel so I will be re-posting for the next couple of nights. Too Young? If you are young, if you have children or grandchildren, I hope you read tonight’s message on – Too Young? I think we often forget how much of a force for good young people can be. We assume they are young and that they have plenty time to contribute. Young people are so busy with their school life and/or young married life they ask, “What can I do for God? I need to be older and wiser to contribute well.” I hope to you encourage our youth tonight. God has used young people for glory from the beginning of time. Young people have contributed in mighty ways to the kingdom of God. We will talk first about some amazing young people in the Bible and then some young Christians who accomplished amazing things in their youth. In I Samuel 16 we hear about the selection of David as the successor to King Saul. Samuel was instructed by the Lord to visit the household of Jesse. Jesse had many sons. The first son presented to Samuel was Eliab. Eliab was tall and good looking but this was not the one that God selected. Ten of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel and to each the answer was, “No this is not the one.” Then Jesse said that he had another younger son who was tending sheep, his name was David and although he was the youngest son, this is the young man God chose to be king of His people. God’s choices are ALWAYS wise and so was the choice of David. We find in I Samuel 17 that David killed the Philistine giant Goliath with nothing more than a sling and couple of rocks. David knew that he was not equipped in and of himself so he prayed to God for help. Then he chose his weapon wisely, a weapon that he likely wielded with great skill and with God’s help, David killed a man that the whole army of Israel feared. David was young but he trusted God and knew that with God’s help he could do great things. Joseph was the youngest and favorite son of Jacob. Joseph was talented and had the ability to adapt but he also showed arrogance and this made his brothers hate him. Joseph was only 17 years old when he was sold into slavery. But Joseph handled himself with great honor and soon became the personal assistant to Potiphar. Joseph resisted temptations and stayed true to His God and God rewarded him. It was through this young man, Joseph, that God saved his family and the people of Israel from famine. And let’s not forget Samuel. Samuel became a servant of God as a child. God spoke to Samuel and Samuel obeyed. Because of Samuel’s youthful obedience he became one of the most powerful and influential priests in Israel. Timothy was a young apostle. Paul encouraged Timothy in his youth with these words and we must teach them to our children and grandchildren. I Timothy 4:12 –”Dont let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. I for one believe in the prayers of our young children. Their prayers are often free from the bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness that negatively affect the prayer life of those of us who are older. Encourage your children and grandchildren in their prayer time for Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matthew 19:14. Now we know that God did amazing things through young people during the days of the Bible, but what about later? Can young people really make a contribution? Consider these young people: Jonathan Edwards had learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew by the time he was 13 and before he turned 20 had made his famous pledge to live and think only in a way that was glorifying to God. Charles Spurgeon became a pastor at 16 and was the pastor of the largest church in England by the time he was 20. At age 13 Evan Roberts began praying for the nation of Wales. God answered this young boy’s prayer when in 1904 this country went through a tremendous spiritual revival. The first speech Billy Graham gave was at 19, when he told the attendees at the meeting how much the Lord had done for him. Since them he has preached the gospel to nearly 100 million people. At age 17 Elisabeth Fry asked God what He wanted her to do. She began doing every good thing that she saw around her. Later she was called to prison ministries. And Joni Eareckson Tada had her diving accident at age 17. After her diving accident some of her first words were, “The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is my shepherd.” And God has been using her ever since. Too Young? Not at all! NO ONE is too young to serve our great God. Start serving Him today and watch for His work in your life and the lives of the young that you love. Watch for tomorrow when our topic will be: Too Old?
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 03:00:01 +0000
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