You’re not too young!
When God is looking for someone to use, he’s looking at their heart, not their date of birth.
In Australia, and across the world, there are all sorts of things you can and can't do, depending on your age.
- In my home state of Victoria, if you’re 11 years old, you’re allowed to work delivering newspapers or catalogues. If you want a more serious job you’ll have to wait until your 15.
- If you want to audition for X-Factor you’ll have to wait until you’re 14, in the meantime you can audition for Australia’s Got Talent at any age.
- If you want to start driving, it pays to live in the Northern Territory where you can get your P plates at 16 years and 6 months. You can obtain your provisional license at age 17 in most other states, unless you are Victorian in which you’ll be on your Learners permit until you’re 18.
- If you want to get married in Australia you’ll need to be 18, but if you live in Scotland you can get married at just 16.
- In Australia, many petrol stations won’t let you pump petrol until your 16.
So, Scotland believes their 16 year olds are ready to marry, and Australia thinks they’re only mature enough to put unleaded fuel in a car!
No wonder sometimes young people feel like they’re never old enough to do anything. Sometimes this applies in church too.
Never too young to be a good example
Sometimes churches apply age limits to when you can become a church member or play in the band or become a junior leader at youth. These limits might be sensible, but they still leave you feeling like your waiting for the day when you can finally do something. In the Bible, Paul tells Timothy there’s something he can do regardless of his age. You won’t need a birth certificate or a fake ID to follow Paul’s advice.
Paul says in 1 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 conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
Paul is saying no matter whether you’re six, 16 or 66, God can use you to be an example of Jesus to someone else. Being an example of Jesus won’t magically begin happening when you reach a significant milestone, its already happening right now. The way you live your Christian life right now speaks loudly to your friends, family and everyone at church.
God uses the young
In the Bible, God used people when they were really old, like Abraham (75) and Moses (80). But he also used people when they were very young. Jeremiah told God he was too young to speak.
- God tells Jeremiah, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you” (Jeremiah 1:6-7).
- Josiah became king of Judah when he was eight years old.
- When he was 16, the Bible says that Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David (2 Chronicles 34:3).
- David himself was told he shouldn’t fight Goliath because he was only a boy (1 Samuel 17:33).
- Jesus worked a miracle of feeding 5000 people because a young boy offered five loaves and two fish (John 6:9).
The Bible says the eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 9:16). When God is looking for someone to use, he’s looking at their heart and not at their date of birth.
You’ll never be too young to be a world-changer for the cause of Jesus and never too young to be a Godly example to anyone you know. Your time starts now.
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