Thoughts On My Heart... Today's Young People

One of the things I enjoy about talking to young people about God is that they are generally eager to listen. They all seem to have one concept or another about God and it is a joy to see hearts transform. Once the Spirit of God cracks through the exterior shell that has been formed around their heart, the discussions go from "Why" to "How."

Why does God allow people to die in natural disasters? Why do I need to read my Bible, what difference is it going to make? Why should I stop sleeping with my girlfriend? Why does it even matter?

These are all legitimate questions and we could spend a lot of time discussing and debating them. Often when I get questions like these I find myself trying to figure out an answer. Then, after I stop trying to convince a person to live righteously and it fails, I pray. As the questions come I find myself less trying to answer and more trying to just show the Love of God.

As I see the Spirit of God working in their heart, I begin to discover the questions change. They go from "why" to "how." The person I am sharing with begins to not worry so much about the once coveted answers to the "why question" and changes gears. It is as if they realize the questions are really a sophisticated stall tactic to avoid the real question... How do I serve Him well?

Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an amazing thing. I remember listening to a conference a few years back from D. A. Carson. In the message he made a statement that goes something like this. "Twenty years ago we were witnessing to college age students and sharing the Gospel. They would debate that Jesus was the only path to God. Now, today's college students have not the same concept of God. Today we are trying to share that there actually is a God."

Times change, but the Gospel stays the same. Though we see different generations all carrying around the most acceptable world view of their day, one thing remains the same. We all need Jesus. No matter how it is packaged, sin is sin and we are all guilty of it.

This week I am encouraged to stand firm in the faith. To reach out to young people and share the love of God with them. It is easy to go about our merry way and ignore the fact that today's youth are leaving the church in droves. Kids who have claimed to have a relationship with Jesus are now living as atheists and agnostics. Seeking their own path of independence away from their parents religion.

If you are involved with the lives of youth I encourage you to spend time learning about them. Ask questions that get to their heart and help them see that you really love them. We can teach the Bible all day long, but from my experience, what they truly need is relationships. If you are not involved with the youth in your community, I encourage you to pray for those who are. We are raising the next generation of God's people and it is our responsibility to do it well.

Today's young people are bombarded with so many distractions. Internet, activities, opposing world views, unhealthy relationships, drugs and alcohol, etc... The world is pulling them away from God and I encourage you today to ask the Lord if He would have you participate in one way or another in bringing them back.