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“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. Sometimes people did not want to listen to me because I was young, and I thought that the Apostle Paul “had it right” when he told Timothy not to allow anyone to despise his youth. But then I had to learn to read the rest of the verse. If Timothy were going to get respect from others, he needed to cultivate the qualities that would earn that respect. His speech, conduct, love, etc. all needed to be a good example to others.
It is the same today. Even though we are young we like to be respected, and that is good. But then the way we live, talk, and interact with others needs to be Christ-like. Then we will find that others, and especially older believers, will respect us. As we have often heard before, our actions are more important than what we say, and what we are is more important than what we do. If Christ is our object, then our life will reflect what He is.
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