Young People! The Sooner, the Better (A Biblical View)

June 16, 1976, will always stand as a beacon of hope for South Africa, especially for young people. It is a constant reminder that young people can deal with severe problems, no matter how big and scary they are. On June 16, 1976, black students in South Africa said no to Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, and their struggle became a victory. Indeed young people have the power to deal with any challenge before them, and if the youth of 1976 did it, you could also deal with your current problems victoriously. Like Nelson Mandela said, “It seems impossible until it is done.” 

If I may share a personal testimony, one day, I attended a conference in Johannesburg, and, by God’s providence, I had the privilege of speaking to one of the guest speakers, an older man. In our short conversation, I shared with him that I’ve got a strong passion and burden for writing in the area of biblical counseling. And what he said took me off guard, and changed my life for the better.  And by heeding his wise counsel, the following year after meeting him, I wrote my first two books in one year. And these are the words he said to me: “Young man, whatever you want to do, you must start now.”

Indeed, “Aspiration without Inspiration Is Desperation.” (Unknown). Youthful life is a life filled with great potential and opportunities. If youthful energy is not harnessed properly, our young generation will die a natural death through self-pity and shifting the blame to everything and everyone else.

Let the one who has ears hear. May the following words take you out of your comfort zone, push you to the limit, and help you to do what you need to do and start doing it now?

• Youthful life should be useful life; the sooner, the better. It says in Lamentations 3:27, “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Do it while you still have what it takes to do it. The older you become, the wearier you become. You are not growing stronger, but weaker by the day; the sooner, the better.
• Don’t waste your life; use the days of your life wisely. It says in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” May the gracious God teach us that our days under the sun are very few; therefore, we must use them wisely and soonest.
• Between birth and death, it is time to find and fulfill your God-given purpose in life. God created you for a specific purpose only you can fulfill. It says in Acts 13:36, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.” And guess what? What was true for King David was also true of King Solomon, his son. It says in Second Chronicles 2:1, “Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself.” These were the main two projects in King Solomon’s heart and life, first building a temple for the name of the LORD, and lastly, building a royal palace for himself. These are the two main projects God put in his heart to live and die for. Now, prayerfully read Second Chronicles 2:1 (above) and figure out what was Solomon’s first project or priority God laid in his heart. 

If that is not enough to convince you, the following passage of Scripture, amongst others, articulate the purpose of Jesus’ life here on earth. “Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Jesus Christ came into the world to be the king of eternal life, and that’s exactly what he lived and died for. It says in John 12:27, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”

Prayerfully ask yourself this question: What is my God-given purpose in this generation? What is it that only I can do in my social, economic, marriage, family, work, and spiritual life?

Now, let the truth be told, without any fear or favor. Like King Solomon, the first and the most significant God-given purpose for every soul living under the sun is to put God first before everything else and everyone else. Before your academic achievements, finding a job, buying your first car, building your house, finding your life partner (marriage), you must, first of all, find God. If you achieve everything else in this life and miss God, you will live a miserable and meaningless life. It says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

And guess what? There is only one legitimate way to God; all others are false and misleading. Jesus Christ himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). In Acts 4:12, the Bible says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Salvation from slavery to all kinds of sins, death, and Satan is only found in Jesus Christ, not in world politics or human wisdom and ideologies.

Now, here is the message to all young people out there, before you can fix any other problem in the world and your personal life, you must, first, have yourself fixed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Any attempt to fix the world and your personal life without being in a right relationship with God, through hearing and believing the gospel of Jesus Christ, is to put the cart before the horse. Doing so only does more harm than good. And always remember this, whatever you want to do, start doing it now. And most importantly, put the first thing first, seeking God before everything and everyone else. The sooner, the better.