It has often been said that the most important steps we take in life are taken while we are young. On our early decisions may rest much of our future life; our testimony for the Lord and our own happiness may depend thereon. Even the manner in which we earn our livelihood and the place of our residence may be determined early in life, and these in turn may influence almost everything else, all of which points out the great importance of arriving at right decisions while young. This is only possible if such decisions are directed by a wiser hand than ours. It is only as we walk with God and seek His help and guidance that we shall walk aright. And while we would emphasize the importance of a close walk with God in these formative years, yet we hasten to add that there will never come a time in the Christian's life during which he will not need to be continually cast upon the Lord, for a false step can be taken at any time.
There are three great milestones in the Christian's early life: 1. The great starting point is the moment when we go before God as guilty, hell-deserving sinners, and by faith accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Substitute. Nothing else will ever be right unless and until this step is taken.
2. Then after one is saved, the next question should be, Where shall I remember my Lord in death? The blessed One that died for us requested that we remember Him in death, and He has not left it to our own devising to find a way to do it; He very simply but explicitly told us how it should be done. Is the matter of where we do it of no importance? Are we free to do according to what is right in our eyes, as they did in the dark days of the Judges? It was not left to the Israelites in the land of Canaan to offer their gifts in any place of their choice; they had to seek out the place that the Lord their God chose, and to go to no other (Deut. 26:22That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. (Deuteronomy 26:2)). When the Lord sent two of His disciples to prepare for the eating of the last Passover, they set us a model in this connection; they asked Him, "Where wilt THOU?" They sought the Lord's directions, and He gave them minutely. So will it ever be when we have no will in the matter, but desire to know His will. This may call for great searching of heart, for often other motives get intermingled with a desire to do the Lord's will.
3. The choice of a life companion is the other great step. Some people may be disposed to place it ahead of the previous one, but they may be found to be interdependent. It is surely a step that should never be undertaken on an impulse, or without the full assurance of having the mind of God in the matter. Many dear young Christians have rushed into marriage on their own judgment, without seeking the counsel of the Lord, only to reap a whole long lifetime of sorrow and trouble. What troubles we sometimes make for ourselves!
As great crossroads may be reached by the time young people come of age, it points up the urgency of an early decision for Christ; for if one reaches the crossroad of marriage still unsaved, there is no telling which way he may go and, need we add, whatever way it is, it can scarcely be the right one. Although through God's grace one may be saved later, there may be a lot of reaping to do from a step taken while still unsaved. It is most important to have true devotedness of heart to Christ from those early days, for without that, the next steps may be taken in self-will or independence, only to be later regretted.
We see many examples of early devotedness to the Lord in the Scriptures—Joseph, Samuel, David, Paul, and Timothy, to mention only a few, were all young when they started on that path. Samuel was devoted to the Lord from a little child, and very early he learned to say, "Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth" (1 Sam. 3:99Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. (1 Samuel 3:9)). May we each have more of that spirit.
Daniel was only a youth when taken to Babylon as a captive, but at his tender age he walked in all good conscience before God. He knew times had changed from the days of Israel's greatness, but he believed that the word and truth of God had not altered. As a young man he was faithful to God in a strange land under very trying circumstances. Four words, each beginning with the letter "p," characterized that dear man from youth to old age; they are purpose, prayer, praise, and prosper. In a very marked way Daniel purposed in his heart to please God; he was also a man given to prayer, not only in times of special stress, but as the regular habit of his life; when he received the much desired answer to his prayer in chapter 2, the first thing he did was to stop to praise God; and because "them that honor Me I will honor" is true, God caused Daniel to prosper in a strange land.
Purpose of heart is like the rudder which enables a ship to stay on a set course. A ship may be good, and have great engines, but without a rudder it is useless—it can go nowhere. Paul had a good rudder when he said, "This one thing I do." He was not a "double-minded man... unstable in all his ways"; he was a man of a single purpose, and that purpose was to get through this world to reach Christ in glory. He was not minded to tarry by the way, but to press on to "glory and the victor's crown.”
At this point we need to be reminded of the prayer that also marked Daniel, for mere human determination to please God will not suffice. We need to walk in constant dependence, realizing our weakness. The advice of a man "full of the Holy Ghost" to young believers was that they should "cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart," and we should remember that we need the constant supply of grace and help from our Great High Priest to do the same.
May the Lord grant to writer and reader alike more of this same undividedness of heart and singleness of eye that were displayed in saints of old, so that we may be kept from many a false step that would bring sorrow into our lives, and dishonor to the Lord. All of this has a great bearing on our main subject—marriage.
"Our path is most rugged, and dangerous too,
A wide trackless waste our journey lies through;
But the pillar of cloud that shows us our way
Is our sure light by night, and shades us by day.”