December 1, 2022

I Timothy 4: 12  (NIV)

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

No matter how much experience we have in the Christian life . . . we must still walk by faith.*

It’s hard not to get discouraged about the future of the church. Our faith in God may be strong but when we look at the generation following us – well, it might seem like God doesn’t have much to work with.  But I contend that there is as much hope for the church in its young people as there is in us old folks. I know some kids who are going to set the world on fire for the Lord. I know some middle-aged people who do nothing much beyond taking up space.

While Paul was specifically addressing Timothy’s situation, we might apply the same principle to those who are young in the faith, whatever their chronological age.  New Christians should not feel that their immaturity in the faith makes them less valuable in the Kingdom. They just have some growing to do.

Physically and spiritually, we all grow and develop at different rates. We do everything we can to make sure our children grow up to be strong and healthy – but the pace at which that happens is not up to us. Spiritually, we do everything we can to feed and nurture our growth but some people will always lag behind others. To my friends who feel like a grasshopper next to the spiritual giants, I say with Paul: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are “young.” No matter where you are in your spiritual walk, you can still set an example in speech, life, love, faith, and purity. 

In opportunity, in privilege, in the endowment of youth, strength, intelligence, or other of life's benefits, every Christian in some specific sense is better than any other.*