Excuse me, I’m talking to you... yeah you. Listen up all you teens, parents of teens and grand parents who love your grand teens. The next couple of installments of this column will talk to young people, their parents and grand parents about some of the challenges teens face in growing up to be committed Christians.
I don’t have any special formulas or special advice that’s going to smooth out the rough patches or make bad decisions and careless choices magically go away. Being a teen is not easy today. Looking back I’m not sure my generation or any generation has ever had a smooth ride through the teen years. The journey can be a tough one, especially if you’re not prepared and think you have all the answers. I know what that feels like... there was a time when I had all the answers. I’m sure I did! I think I did. Maybe I didn’t. The teen years can be boiled down to one thing –– what you want to do and what you end up doing... your behavior matters!
Let me make it clear right from the start: the way you behave reveals how serious you are about being a Christian. It's that simple. If God's really in your life He will make some big permanent changes - and I’m are not talking about being some kind of goody-goody. It goes much deeper than that.
Some of you already know from experience that too many Christian teenagers behave badly. You may even wonder if they are really Christians at all. Some teens can tell you more about various types of music, celebrities and social media than any major truths of the Bible.
Living God's way brings security, satisfaction, safety and purity. Ignoring God's instructions will lead to recklessness, impurity, indifference, worldliness, selfishness and restlessness in your adult.
This next statement will hit you hard... there's no point in being a Christian if you don't intend to live the right way. God is always right and knows what you need. At times you may not like to admit that, but it's true. He loves you and He knows what's best for you. It makes sense to listen to what He says. If we don't draw close to Him and live for Him we will miss out on what we really need. What we want isn't really all that important. Christians only half-committed to God can turn people away from Him. If people don't see sincerity and reality in the way you are living, they will have a good reason to turn their backs on hearing the gospel and truth.
So, how does God want you to live? What's the right lifestyle for you? What's right and what's wrong? Here, briefly, are just some of God's instructions based on the teaching of the Bible.
Friends and those you associate with. It's important to choose your friends carefully. You won't really connect with someone unless you agree. Common sense really. Clearly your closest friends must be Christians who are making an effort to live for God like you are.
Avoid those who say they are Christians but obviously aren't interested in living Christ-like lives. Their general behavior will give them away. Take time to think about the way they live, then consider God's standards and all that He calls you to. Consider the danger you place yourself in when you hangout with those who seek only after carnal things.
The Bible tells us that a Christian has nothing in common with someone who doesn't believe, or with those who obviously don't care about sticking to the Christian way of life (Amos 3:3,; 2 Corinthians 6:14,15). If you insist on regularly hanging out with such people, they will make it more difficult for you to do the right thing.
There is a difference between casual friendships and serious close friendships. It's good to have unsaved casual friends - if you never had any acquaintances you would have less opportunity to share about the Lord! But close, steady relationships with those who are not Christians will most likely leave you compromised by muddling up your priorities and diluting your commitment to Christ.
Try hard to keep your mind and body pure. Refuse sexual immorality the instant you're exposed to it. You'll find plenty of impurity on TV, in magazines, on the Net, in social media, in video games and among friends at school. Don't get stressed out about being different. Don't just cave in and be like everyone else. God offers you something that's pollution-free. Give your body to God for the rest of your life and keep your sexuality for your marriage partner. That’s blunt and to the point teens, but you need to hear it straight, without any spin.
Reject anything obscene or crude. Avoid coarse or rude jokes. Unless you are deaf, and you’re not, then you will hear all sorts of unsavory jokes and commentaries about many things. But you don’t have to pick up that stuff and repeat it. Try to control your sense of humor when hearing these kinds of things. Maybe the best reaction is to be a happy person that speaks about worthwhile topics and tells funny knock-knock jokes. Being happy and cheerful around those who are trapped in the vortex of coarse and crude talk is like medicine for them. So share a spoonful of happy-cheerful with somebody everyday. A positive upbeat attitude is contagious, so let yours affect those around you.
Try your very best to live a clean life. You belong to God, so set yourself apart for Him and allow Him to influence your conduct. Give yourself totally to Him and don't be afraid to be very different to the world. You should resist anything bad, no matter what and even expose it for what it really is. Get your mind tuned in to only good things and think about them. Check everything carefully to make sure God approves. If you're not sure, examine the Bible, talk to your parents [if you can], your grand parents or talk with a youth minister at your church.
Okay, let’s stop here for today. This is enough to noodle on for now. Back with you in a couple of days.
