An Army of Youth

     You have probably sung or at least heard the hymn, “Onward, Christian Soldiers, marching on to war…”  Who are the soldiers?  Do they include us?  1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  We, Seventh-Day Adventist youth, have a mission. We are to be an example of what Christians are to be.  We are to be pure in word and conversation, liberal in charity, godly in spirit and in faith.  The chapter called Lifework in her book, Education, Mrs. White tells what we may do as soldiers in the army of the Lord. 

     “With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come—the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a possession here, with its blight of sin and pain, our children might receive their inheritance where “the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever”; where “the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick,” and “the voice of weeping shall be no more heard.””—Education, 271.2

     Is that not amazing?  If we, the army of Seventh-Day Adventist young people, work with God in His battlefield earnesty and fervently, Jesus could come so soon!  Are good armies weak, do-little, or cowardly?  No!  They are strong, hardworking, and brave.  We are an army for the Master.  Shall we not give our best to Him who has given us His best? 

     “There is no line of work in which it is possible for the youth to receive greater benefit. All who engage in ministry are God’s helping hand. They are co-workers with the angels; rather, they are the human agencies through whom the angels accomplish their mission. Angels speak through their voices, and work by their hands. And the human workers, co-operating with heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their education and experience.”—Education, 271.1

     What a precious promise!  When we work for God, we work in harmony and together with His angels.  When we work alongside the angels, and the angels work through us, imagine what can be done for the Lord’s work!

     “The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our capabilities.  Not all reach the same development or do with equal efficiency the same work.  God does not expect the hyssop to attain the proportions of the cedar, or the olive the height of the stately palm.  But each should aim just as high as the union of human with divine power makes it possible for him to reach.”—Education, 267.1

     We are not all called to the same work.  If all in our body was the ear, we couldn’t see, smell, or taste.  We need all of the different parts of our body in order to work as God created us to.  We will not all be preachers, we will not all be Bible workers, we will not all be missionaries in foreign lands.  But we will each have our specific task that God assigns us to that we must carry out.  And we must carry it out with our best efforts to give God the most glory, and bring the most people to Him through His power. 

     “In this work, as in every other, skill is gained in the work itself. It is by training in the common duties of life and in ministry to the needy and suffering, that efficiency is assured. Without this the best-meant efforts are often useless and even harmful. It is in the water, not on the land, that men learn to swim.”—Education 268.3

     If you are afraid that you won’t do very well, all you need to do is start.  Start small, and let your work expand.  Sure, you might make some mistakes, but what are mistakes for?  Learning!  Use the talents and powers God has given you for His work.  And when we fight in the battle, we may take hold of the promise that, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). 

     What are we waiting for?  We’ve got a world to warn!

     ~Lilienne Stafford