Youthful Service

1^st Samuel 17:40-42; John 8:2-11; 1^st Timothy 4:6-16

Who deserves to serve God? Who is worthy of serving Christ Jesus, a minister of the gospel? Who among us is qualified? Some of us are too young. Some are too old. Some lack experience. Some lack energy. Some lack strength. Some don’t know enough. Some are too tired. Some are too busy. There are so many things to disqualify us from service. Perhaps these are really excuses, rather than reasons. Why are we so good at excusing ourselves from God’s call to ministry?

David did not seem to have the right stuff to face the giant. Goliath had instilled fear in the hearts of the whole Israelite army. David was the insignificant son of Jesse—the one kept back to tend to the flocks while the elder brothers went off to the higher duties of defending Israel. David was not the big, brawny, muscular type expected for a standoff with the Philistine champion. He seemed so hopelessly outclassed. There was no compelling reason to send David against Goliath. There were plenty of reasons not to. He was too young. He was inexperienced. He was unproven.

David’s response is interesting. Oh, he had no battlefield experience, but he had experience trusting God in the face of danger. He knew how to defend sheep from lions and bears. If God could protect him from them, he could likewise deliver David from this enemy soldier who had defied the armies of the living God.

David does not credit his victories to skill, strength and valor. Rather, he credited his successes to God’s intervention in the course of service. David had led a life of faithful service, and in the course of serving, God had faithfully provided where he was lacking.

Saul dressed David in the king’s armor, but it was hopeless. David could not walk in the armor, much less fight in it. Taking it off, David reported that he must trust himself to God’s provision and protection. While David had never been to war, he had experience in trusting God. God would provide what he lacked in experience, strength, age, and stature. Service is, after all, about placing oneself in the hands of the living God. David would do his part, and God would fill in the gaps. The one who was too young an inexperienced became the champion in his surrender to God’s service.

As Paul writes Timothy, we hear concerns about Timothy’s acceptance. Some believed him too young to lead effectively. They thought him too inexperienced, immature, or otherwise unable to meet the challenge before him. Paul had found Timothy a worthwhile co-worker. Timothy had worked with Paul in other settings, and Paul was assured that Timothy would do just fine. Paul understood there was more to successful service than age or the other human standards for responsibility. He also knew there would be opposition due to Timothy’s apparent inexperience.

Aware of the problems Timothy was facing, Paul reminded him that character in action would stand the test in spite of his youth. Maturity has less to do with age than it does with character. Character displays itself in consistency. Paul reminded Timothy of the role of consistent action as his best advocate in leadership. Through consistent action, he could win over those who would oppose him on meager grounds. The example of character would speak on his behalf.

Timothy was deemed too young and inexperienced. Truth be told, age and experience simply give us more opportunity to prove our lack of worth. Time gives more opportunities for our failures and weaknesses to show up in the light of day. While many claim experience as the best teacher, her lessons all too often come only too late.

When I was learning to play the trombone, my sister would tell me, “Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect!” She didn’t like the quality of the sounds I produced on the instrument. I brushed off her comment as nothing more than a jab. There was more truth behind her words, however, than I cared to accept. Simply rehearsing my errors with the instrument would not make me a better musician. Rather, I must learn to practice the perfected tones, leaving the rest behind.

Paul reminds Timothy that the key to overcoming the opposition to his youth was to set a good example of conduct and character. “Allow no one to despise your youth, but set believers an example in speech, life, love, faith, and purity.” Paul was not so concerned with Timothy’s seeming inexperience and youth, for he had seen the quality of Timothy’s character through his service. For those who did not yet know Timothy’s true character, his example over time could work to gain their trust.

The problem with experience is that along the way we are sure to fail. There are plenty of people standing in the wings ready to point fingers of condemnation at our failures. It may seem easier to give up before we begin, but the Bible offers us no such option in service to Christ Jesus. Paul enjoined Timothy to set a good example based on his character. Character, however, is learned and developed.

Jesus’ encounter in John 8 might catch us off guard, if we had not heard the story so many times. A woman caught in adultery was thrown down at his feet as a trap. What was to be done with this sinful woman who was caught in her guilt? The Law condemned her. Jesus preached forgiveness. How would he respond in a live situation with one guilty and punishable by death?

Jesus did not condone her actions. Jesus did not deny the standards of the Law. Jesus did not condemn her. Rather, he pointed out that all are guilty of falling short of God’s standards. He showed that condemnation seeks to exclude others on the basis of a supposed superiority. Then he offered grace for a fresh start. Grace does not ignore sin, but it grants the opportunity to give life another shot.

We are sure to be condemned by others for one reason or another. The greater problem, however, is when we are the ones condemning, even if we condemn only ourselves. Jesus did not condemn the adulteress, but gave her an opportunity to redirect her life to serve God. When all is said and done, we find ourselves in the position of the Israelite army before Goliath. We are all too aware of our own limitations. We can never measure up to the challenge of life in humble service to God. The obstacles are greater than ourselves. The giants are too big. We are too weak and unprepared. We are too young an inexperienced to take on the world. It is too easy to recoil in fear, awaiting the arrival of the true champion.

So many of the Biblical heroes were those we would least expect to succeed. Too young, too old, too weak, none of us is worthy to serve God. That is not the point, however. It is not about worth, it is about faithfulness to God’s mission and call. We are all commissioned as disciples of Christ Jesus. Will we be faithful? Young, old, or inexperienced, we are called to serve in faithfulness.

—©Copyright 2006 Christopher B. Harbin

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