Now is the time to live!

I Timothy 4:12 "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."

They are all around us.  I daresay you know some of them: young men and women who have bought into the lie that now is the time to live for yourself, now is the time to enjoy your life, to reject responsibility, and to party before the weight of adulthood is thrust upon you.  While I entirely disagree with this view, I do agree upon one point: now is the time to live!

Now is the time to live for something more.

Too often, we also buy into the lie that some future day far down the road of life after we "grow up," we'll start doing the things we should be doing, start living for Christ, start talking about him.  But I ask you to reconsider.  Habits once begun are difficult and dangerous to stop.  If you build into yourself the habit of waiting, delaying, procrastinating, you will never get around to doing it, never start living for Christ, never start boldly proclaiming his words.

I find that each time I ignore an opportunity to speak for Christ, it becomes easier and easier to be completely blind to such opportunities, to miss them entirely until it is too late.  Don't let that happen.  Don't build the habit of silence into your soul.

Ephesians 5:15-16 "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."


Colossians 4:5-6 "Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Today, in church, our pastor mentioned Jeremiah 20:9.  Read it and reflect upon the words a moment. "But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."  

Oh this is my prayer.  That God's word would fill me like a fire shut up inside, so that I cannot keep silent.  It is far too easy for me to make excuses, far too easy for me to simply pretend not to see the opportunity, or try to deaden myself to the holy spirit's leadings.  But that is not how it should be!  Oh Father, that your words but burned like a fire within, like a well filled to overflowing, pouring out of me, so that I could not help to proclaim your truth!  Let me be like Jeremiah who could not hold it in.  Like David who had to speak out, who could not conceal God's truth in his heart, but had to proclaim it to the assembly.  (Psalms 40:10)

I Timothy 4:12 "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."

You are never to young to live for God.  Don't buy into the lie that you are.  Don't buy into the lie that now is the time to live for self, to forsake responsibility, to deny all but your own desires.  Now is the time to live, yes, but to live for Christ!  To live so that others might live, seeing Christ in your life.  

Even though you are young, you can exemplify Christ.  You are never too young to shine Christ's glory in the midst of an evil world.  Though you are young, you are called to set an example for the other believers.  In your speech - speech that reflects God, voices that speak for Him - in your life - live for something more that yourself, live for Christ - in love - true love in action, love that is willing to die to self for others - and in purity. As temples of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be pure.  

David wrote in Psalms 8:1-2b "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise..."

If infants are not too young to praise God, then you are not too young to start living for Him now.  I challenge you!  Don't waste your time.  Remember, every single breath you breathe, every second that you remain upon this earth is a gift!  Don't waste it.  And don't ever believe the lie that you are too young.  Don't fall into the snare.

Now is the time to live.  Not when you are twenty five... not when you're thirty... not when you're forty, fifty, sixty, seventy and so on up.  Start living now and the habits will continue throughout all of those years.  But don't waste these the freest days of your life where you have less responsibility and more time to spend serving Christ, living for Him.


~ A Servant of the King
To the praise of his glory.