At this time of year, lots of speeches have been / will be given encouraging young people to follow their dreams and to leave their mark on the world.
This is good advice…assuming those dreams include pleasing the Lord (Ps. 37:4; 2 Cor. 5:9), and those marks are the marks of Jesus (Gal. 6:17).
Otherwise, we are spinning our wheels and engaging in the inconsequential.
With that in mind, it is good to emphasize the fact that the Lord expects His people to be difference makers.
Age does not matter. Young, old, or anywhere in between, Jesus expects the church to make a positive impact on the world in which they live.
Please consider the words of Paul to Timothy and note the very clear expectations he has for the young man:
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:12-16; cf. Matt. 5:13-16)
He is to set an example in the way he talks. Telling the truth, being an encouragement, and refusing to use foul language are all marks of Christian speech. It has been said that people say cuss words when they don’t know the right ones to use to express themselves. Why not use more fitting words that point others to Jesus (Eph. 4:29; 5:4)?
He is to set an example in the way he treats others. Love is patient and puts others first (1 Cor. 13:4-6). Christians count others as more significant than themselves and actually want good things to happen to others. Disciples of Jesus do not get upset when sacrifices are made so that others may potentially be encouraged (Phil. 2:3-4).
He is to set an example in the way he remains faithful. Sometimes life will be hard. This is a guarantee (John 16:33), especially for the Christian (2 Tim. 3:12). Disciples of Jesus will endure hardship in such a way that the watching world is impressed (1 Pet. 3:15).
Much more could be said, but it is clear that Paul expected Timothy to be a difference maker right then. Right there. He was not expected to wait until he was older and had more experience.
We were made for more than watching. We were made for making things better for others.
We were made by God to make a difference.
