2003-01-06 - Christian Experience

1 John 2:14 I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Before I begin I want to thank the many of you who responded to my devotional of last Tuesday. I am not sure I will be able to respond to all of them. There were hundreds of responses and so I will do my best to get to as many of them as I can. In truth, it is nice to know that some people are reading this dribble we put out.

Today I would like to aim at the youthful types (and all the others) on our list. Youth really doesn't have to do with age. I probably have out grown being a kid, but I still like punk rock and Matallica, so I don't know how you define youth. What I wish to focus on today is that no matter what your age, being in the faith of Christ means that you have a vigor and strength that far out progresses anything that is in the world. Christian experience can start at any age, and thus the real thing to consider is how we growing in this Christian experience wherever we are in life.

It is sad, in fact it is to be lamented, that so many think that they are too old to serve Christ. I remember one of my professors in seminary saying that he was going to retire and go to Eastern Europe to serve Christ there. So far he has not done it, but I respect his vision and determination to serve the Lord rather than retire and slow it down. This is a lesson for everyone who is young. Step it up. Never give into complacency. Scratch that, that is not a wake up call for the young. That is a wake up call for us all.

The young are generally healthy and have vigor and idealism going for them. They have not been jilted by the world yet. It is often hard to get people who are not young to seek the service of the Lord. May I tell you all something: You can serve the Lord at any point of your life. I don't care if you are a six years old or 600 years old, you can serve Christ by encouraging others to come to grace or grow in grace. There is no need for self-denial here. We all have the opportunity to serve the Lord. The Word of God must have an abiding influence in our lives. Frankly, we have an obligation to serve Christ because He has forgiven us of sin and saved us from hell. It is not easy to say and I cringe as I write it, but that is truth. He has saved us from hell.

So my first devo of 2003 is a slap in the face not only to me but to all of us. What do you expect? I like Matallica (and I consider myself a Puritan -- go figure).

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service, with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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