Daily Devotional: 5/2/2018

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12.

When I was reading my Bible App Plans late last night and the clocked turned to 12 I checked to see what the Verse of the Day was. I was beyond excited to see that this was the verse and I couldn’t wait to get up this morning to write this devotional, especially for slacking the last two days.  No matter how old you are whether you are a newborn or you are 100 and beyond, you are a child of God. We all are kids at heart. Life is hard enough with all the stress that this world puts on us, sometimes we have to let loose and let our inner kid flourish. No matter what, we will all mess up and mess up a lot. Life is full of struggles, but we do have one true amazing God that will help us through everything, because we are all young and weak. We will never not need the adult figure in God. Jesus throughout his ministry talked about so much (as I constantly say in these devotionals), about spreading love, peace, and his word, to how to do these things, and how not to do these things. One of the things Jesus talks about in his ministry is about the innocence of kids and how we have to be more like them.

"At the time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who, then,  is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'" Matthew 18: 1-5

Children are some of the people that are set to "automatically" go to heaven. This is not because they are cute and cuddly, because some of them are not and we all know this. But it is because they are young and innocent, they know no evil. They have never heard or understood the Word. Their brains are not developed enough to understand and comprehend the Word of God, but yet all they want to do is love and help everyone. If you ever talked to a kid you will know when I say it, but kids are innocent in the fact that they do not know what is going on, but they will do everything in their power to understand what is going on. They will ask a million questions, sometimes the same question just in a million different ways. It can be beyond frustrating, but that is what God wants us to do. He wants us to ask questions, and constantly ask them. No matter how old you get, our brains will never be developed enough to understand everything that God does and will do. Another thing that kids do that we need to learn from them is the fact that they love. They love from their heart. Kids can be mean, but they sometimes do not mean to be mean. This meaning kids are naturally loving, hate is something that is learned, while love is something that is natural. I once watched a video of kids talking about what it means to love (Cute Kids Answer--What is Love?). All their answers were so innocent. Kids do not see color, they do not see gender, they do not see difference; all they see is another person deserving of love and happiness. Be like a kid today by loving and asking questions.

Just how this blog was started ("God does not use no one personality for his ministry), he does not use no one age for his ministry. God uses the old and the wise, but he also uses the young and the innocent. One of the people that God used, was Timothy. Timothy was one of Paul's closest associates. Timothy during this verse was about low- to mid- 30s, which was young for his day in age in terms of the position he held in the ministry and still is relatively young for the positon that he held. Paul reminds him that people will look down on him and not listen to him because of his age, but he encourages him, too. Paul tells him to continue to be the light and the example to follow. The light of Jesus is brighter than any light and greater than all darkness in the entire universe. He can  out shine any light and cut through all darkness. Paul tells Timothy that if he sets this example people will have to be intrigued and will listen. This is something I encourage for all that read this and for the people apart of this blog. We are all young (as I write this we are as young as 20 and as old as 25), we have so much more to learn and so much ahead of us. There will be people that put us down because of our age, but the light of Jesus that radiates off us will silence the hate and the devil. We all have to set the example, be the example, and be the light in this dark world. Do not be discouraged by what people say, but use it to fuel your burning eternal light.

Lord, I pray and thank you for your word. Thank you for the Word that you have given us to encourage us, to build us, to cut us, to heal us. Thank you for the strength you continue to give us. Humble our hearts and our minds. Cut us at our soul. Allow us to be as innocent as kids. Allow us to be the example and be the light in the dark world. Help us not be discouraged, as people will put us down because of our age and what he believe. Allow it to be the fuel to our light that you have given us. Be with us as we continue to walk on our path to an eternal life with you in heaven.

#LetsBeAMovement