Daily Devotions
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word. Psalm 119:9
Someone has described teenagers as “the generation now in escrow.” The reference is to funds held by a third party which then become available when the intended payee has met certain conditions.
Young people are the future. They are a precious possession, a human asset and resource to be drawn on for leadership in coming years. The Christian church values teenagers highly.
Parents have the responsibility and privilege of helping young people mature. They set good examples and back them up with Christian teaching. As children become adolescents, then young adults, they gradually learn to take responsibility for their lives. This calls for spiritual growth through the study of God’s Word. The psalmist asks: “How can a young man [person] keep his way pure?” He replies, “By living according to Your Word” (Psalm 119:9).
Christian living results from Christian believing, from being in right relation to God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior. This relationship–this living in Christ and Christ in us–normally begins with holy baptism in infancy. This “washing with water through the Word” (Ephesians 5:26) cleanses from sin, breaks the power of death and the devil, and conveys the eternal salvation procured by Christ. This one-time performance is in effect for life. The faith engendered by the sacrament is kept alive and strengthened through instruction in God’s Word.
What a blessing it is to the individual, to the family, to church and nation, when teenagers, “the generation now in escrow,” mature into full Christian adulthood! The apostle commends them: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God lives in you” (1 John 2:14).
PRAYER: O Lord, safeguard and nurture children and teenagers so they may grow in their faith and love for You. Amen.
(Devotions from “With Jesus Every Day” copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)