Youthful Examples

 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, . . .

 1 Timothy 4:12

 

This is probably a very familiar verse to all of you. If it's not, I challenge you to memorize it today. But I wanted to spend some time thinking about it.

First of all we are told, along with Timothy, not to let others despise our youth. That doesn't mean we are to get in their face if they think we are a different age. No, it means we shouldn't give anyone an occasion to despise us because of our example.

Here at camp we have girls of all ages. We have young ones and older ones, and in-between. It doesn't matter how old or young we are, what matters is how we are living our lives. People may look at you and think you are years younger than you are. (They do it to me!) Or maybe they think you are older. But either way we are supposed to be examples. Examples of what?

Examples of the believers. Examples of what a person filled with the Spirit of God is like. Examples of how a Christian should act, speak, and live. This doesn't mean we all have to follow a certain set of rules or we are not good examples because God convicts different people about different things. But are we living a life that honors God?

Are we living in a way that others see us and know by our actions that we belong to Christ?

Are we speaking in a way that tells others we are daughters of the King of kings?

Are we reading books, watching movies, listening to music that speaks of our Savior?

Are we writing stories that point to Christ by what we say and maybe by what we don't say or show?

I want to challenge you today to look at your life. Look at your books, your attitudes, you stories that you write. Are they examples of a daughter of the King? Are there things we need to change? I know there is in my life.  Let us remember to be examples TODAY no matter what our age is, of the believers.