| “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation (conduct), in charity (love), in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). |
| When I was young I really liked this verse, and sometimes felt that older people ought to read it more often! I felt that sometimes they did not pay much attention to what we young people said or did, except to correct us for something. Later on, as an adult, while waiting for a dentist appointment, I saw an article in a magazine entitled, “What do young people want most of all?” After doing a study with a large number of young people, they concluded that the answer was, “To be treated with respect.” Some months later, when I was speaking to a group of Christian young people, I asked them the same question — What do you want most of all from your parents and other adults? I was a bit surprised that they gave me the same answer — to be treated with respect. It seems that young people today are no different from my generation; they want respect from older people. |
| There is nothing wrong with this, and in our verse today, we see that the Apostle Paul told Timothy (who was a young man) not to allow anyone to despise him because he was young. He had a gift from the Lord, and could be a real help to others. Many Christian young people today want to please the Lord, and have real purpose and energy in their lives for Him. |
| However, we see that just as there are two sides to a coin, so there are two sides to this question of respect for young people. The other side of the coin is in the last part of the verse; as younger ones, we must behave in such a way as to deserve respect. We notice here that the Apostle Paul does not tell Timothy to demonstrate his knowledge by saying a lot, nor does he tell him to rebuke those who might want to despise him. Rather, he tells him to behave in a way that would honor the Lord. He was to be an example of the believers in various ways — in his talk, in his conduct, in his love, his spirit, his faith, and in purity. All of these things are most important and should be part of our character at any age. But it is most important to start these things when we are young, and to get in the habit of having our lives molded by the Word of God. |
| If we live the way a Christian ought to live, we will soon find that older ones will begin to respect us, as they realize that we are serious about wanting to honor the Lord in our lives. We will not have to demand respect, for they will respect us. Even people out in the world respect a godly Christian, although they may not like him or her. |
| There is one other point we should mention here. If we show respect to adults and those who are older, it makes it easier for them to respect us. Today in western countries many young people speak to older adults as if they were just like friends their own age. I have heard young people talk to those who were old enough to be their grandparents, the same way they would speak to their teenage buddies. This is regrettable, and while the older ones may not say anything about it, it lowers their opinion of that kind of young person. If we wish to be treated with respect, we need to remember to do our part too! |
