Category: Knowing God

As a young person I know you often have many questions.  Sometimes your parents may roll their eyes when you ask questions.  But it is important to learn about your world and
especially about God and His word.

Sometimes we have questions that we have a hard time answering.  Adults will often do things that you do not understand.  You may ask why they are doing what they are doing only to hear, “When you are older you will understand.”  There are many things that you will not understand until you get older and have many more experiences, learn more about God’s word, learn more about people, and learn how to see things as other people see them.  Be patient with yourself.  Also, be patient with the adults.  Sometimes they are wrong but often they know things that you do not know in making their decisions.

Sometimes things happen in our lives that we do not understand.  When a loved one dies we often ask, “Why did they have to die?”  Death is such a mystery.  We may not understand why a person that we loved died but we can trust that God is taking care of them.  I know this myself because my Dad died when I was five years old.  I often wondered why he had to die while I was so young.  I wondered why he could not be with me every day.

I realized that the Devil brought death into the world with sin.  I also realized that God did not take away my father; he died because all people will die sooner or later.  I also realized that in heaven no one will die, suffer, or be sad any more.  Though I understood these things, I would still get sad when I thought about how much I missed my father.  But I am happy that I have some thoughts of him and pictures to remember.  When I keep him in my heart, he never really goes away.

Sometimes I do not understand what is going to happen to me.  When I was in school I wondered what I would do when I grew up.  I would also wonder what would happen with my family and friends.  Of course, we never will know what is going to happen but we can trust that God is in control and that even when we don’t understand why things are happening that God understands and is taking care of things.  We must realize that He can make all things work for our best if we trust and obey Him.

Sometimes when we do something we know we should not do, we might ask ourselves, “Does God still love me even though I did this?”  Some people who are feeling lonely might ask, “Does God love me?”

We should never doubt God’s love for us.  He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to teach us how to live right and then to die a terrible death so we could go to heaven.  If God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, we can be sure that He will not stop loving us.

However, God does not love the wrong that we do sometimes.  When we are disobedient to our parents, even though God told us to obey them (Ephesians 6:1), God loves us but He wants us to apologize to Him and decide to obey our parents like He commanded.  God does not love sin but He loves the sinner and wants the sinner to change his life and be like Jesus.

In the end, God will punish all the people who would never obey Him and those who knew His law but chose to disobey it.  God does not want to punish anyone but wants everyone to repent and serve Him (2 Peter 3:9).  But He is not going to make people obey Him.  If people choose to disobey Him, they will be punished.

But those who love God and obey His law will be able to live with Him forever in heaven.  Just think of that!  We can live with God in a place where there are no bad people, no one dies, no one is ever sad about anything, and the devil cannot tempt us.  That is a place where I want to go.  I hope you do to.

We must make sure that we do what God commands us to do and try to be like Jesus.  When we disobey His law, we must quickly pray to God and tell Him we are sorry and try our best not to disobey His law again.  God will give us help to obey because He loves us and wants us to live with Him in heaven.

Many young people, at an early age, wonder if they need to become Christians. It is a very serious and personal decision so it must be made with prayer, Bible study, and talks with your parents. Older Christians, such as elders, preachers, and Bible class teachers may often help you as you consider your decision.

Many religious groups teach that a person is lost in sin when they are born in the world. This is not true. In fact, when Jesus was on the earth, He said,

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 19:14.

Jesus said that the kingdom was made up of people who were like children. Children are pure in God’s sight. They do not need to have their sins washed away in baptism because they have not sinned.

Another passage that teaches us that we are born without sin is Ezekiel 18:20. Ezekiel, a prophet of God, taught that the child shall not bear the sin of the father, nor will the father be punished for the sins of his son. If your parents do bad things, you will not have to answer for their sins. If you do bad, your parents will not answer for your sins. We all will stand before God in judgment for our own sins.

So if you are a child, you are in a safe condition before God. Until you learn what sin is all about and realize that you are a sinner before God and that you will be lost if you do not become a Christian, you will be in that safe condition.

You may ask, what age will I be when I should become a Christian? It is different for each person. Some people become Christians at 10 or 12. I didn’t become a Christian until I was 15 years old. The age when you will be ready to become a Christian may be different from your parents, your brothers and sisters, and your friends.

Becoming a Christian is the greatest decision that you will make. Don’t seek to be baptized if you are not ready. Even if all of your friends do it, you wait until you know it is the right time. If you are not sure, talk with your parents. They will be able to help you make your decision and ask you  questions that you may not have asked yourself.

Until you become a Christian, try to please God and learn His word so you will be a good Christian when the time comes. Obey your parents, pray to God often, listen to your teachers and the preacher when he preaches, sing songs in the worship, and learn God’s will every day. God is pleased with such obedience from young people.