This column is designed to deal with various problems that face young Christians as they strive to please God. It is essential to note that people in their teens and early twenties have problems just like "older folks". Some of these problems are very similar in nature...others are peculiar to a particular age-group. The Bible will help us solve our problems, whatever age we might be, but we must study God's Word and learn how to apply Bible knowledge to situations as they fall before us.
In this article we would like to look at the Bible text from which this column gets its name. This scripture is found in Ecclesiastes 12:1 and says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."REMEMBER
To remember something is to call it to mind; not to forget. We can see the evidence of a Supreme Creator of the universe simply by looking at the things in the world in which we live. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). Romans 1:20 points out that by looking at creation we can know there is a God. Putting God first in our thoughts, and keeping Him there, is the best way and only right way to live. When we read the Word of God and see all the spiritual blessings we can receive through Christ Jesus...how can we not remember our Creator? The wicked of the world do not have God in their thoughts. Psalm 10:4 says, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts". The persuasion of the wicked is what Christians want to stay away from! Christians, trying to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12), should concentrate on spiritual matters. Psalm 119:98 reads, "O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day." Certainly one will not have much problem remembering his Creator if God's law is constantly on his mind!NOW
The old saying, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today" is applicable to Christian living. Young people have no more assurance of "tomorrow" than those who are older in years. Too many of us get in the bad "habit" of procrastinating (putting things off until it is almost too late). Such an approach is not in keeping with one who is trying to be a zealous worker in the kingdom of the Lord. Felix was waiting for a "convenient season" to obey God's plan of salvation. As far as we know, he never got around to it! Are we waiting for a "convenient season" to straighten up some spiritual problem we may have? Certainly we can all think of someone whom we know who learned a lesson or two (the hard way) by waiting to do something that needed immediate attention. The Bible principle is, "Now is the accepted time, today is the day..." (2 Cor. 6:2). This should be our attitude and practice when it comes to our spiritual responsibilities.THY CREATOR
We often sing a song with the words, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow..." carrying the idea that all that we are blessed with here on the earth is bestowed upon us by our Father in heaven. If we can keep that attitude foremost in our lives, we will remember our Creator. It is God who allows us to be. He made the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). It is from Him we are to get our instruction (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3;16, 17).
When our thoughts are not upon our Creator continually, we can fall into the problem described in Hebrews 3:12, which says, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God". We are not our own, for we have been bought with a price (I Cor. 6:19, 20). For that reason, we are to glorify God from Whom all blessings flow. Our attitude should be in harmony with the idea expressed in Jeremiah 10:23, "It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps". When we remember our Creator, we follow God's ordinances and not rules substituted by men in place of His law (Galatians 1:6-9).IN THE DAYS OF THY YOUTH
The expression in the Bible text, "in the days of thy youth..." stresses the importance of remembering our Creator early in life. We are not to wait until we are "old" before we give due attention to spiritual matters. How early should it begin? In Proverbs 22:6 we learn the proper time to begin, "Train up a child in the way he should go..." The adult lifestyle is conditioned by one's youth. The environment, associations, recreation, the amount and kind of discipline, and other aspects of childhood play a critical part in determining how a person will live for the rest of his life.With this study we put forth a foundation upon which to build. Future articles for this column will give special attention to "problems" facing the younger members of the household of God. - mjw