Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12 ESV)
As a young pastor (often leading people older than me), I struggle with the truth of this passage. I don’t struggle with it’s truthfulness, I struggle with my own insecurities.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to Timothy he was encouraging that young minister of the Gospel to have boldness, for the sake of the Gospel, no matter what he thought of Himself. Paul plain out said, “Don’t let them look down on you because you are young.” He wasn’t saying this so that Timothy would get a big head and ignore authority or age, rather so that he’d understand that he has the gifts and capabilities to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God.
He went on to challenge Timothy – and me – to set an example for believers in speech: meaning that our words need to be a representation of our hearts true intentions – to know Christ and make him known. We need to be saturated in the scriptures so that its wisdom is always within our words.
Next he said to set and example in your life: your every waking moment is a declaration of the glory of God. Not to long ago I wrote in my journal that I want to be radical in the way that I approach each day of my life. I stated,
“I will live every second with complete intentionality. I will never loose my joy, even when I have lost my happiness. I will manage my time better … because of the way that I plan and pray through every day. My morning will dawn with the Word of God and set in the silence of His scriptures.”
1 Timothy 4 also says to set an example in love: we do this by living out the greatest commandment, “Love the Lord the God with all your heart mind and strength AND love your neighbor as yourself.”
The fourth mentioned way to set an example is by our faith: no doubt, it is hard to live our faith out-loud when culture is screaming against our beliefs. But we must live every moment in complete dependence on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Finally, this verse calls us to live a life of purity: in this double standard word we need to live single standard lives. We can’t be hypocrites. We need to be living righteously so that we can truly be revolutionary!
So whether you are going to be a mayor, mechanic or a missionary… set an example and don’t let your age hold you back.
