TUESDAY
OCTOBER 23

READ:
1 Timothy 4:7-16

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers.

1 Timothy 4:12 

 

Borderline Respect
Some people have a hard time believing that college students make good employees. 

In Canada there’s been criticism of the high number of college-age young people who are working as customs and immigration officials. At Canada’s busiest airport, 80 percent of the workers are college students. During peak travel times, that number is as high as 95 percent. 

A union official doesn’t like hiring young “unskilled” labor (their training is condensed). Nor does he like it that so many young faces make customs counters look like a McDonald’s. (“Would you like fries with your McPassport?”)

But not all observers are down on youthful employees. One customs manager said, “They have had life experiences. They’re very poised, very professional. I’m very proud of them.”

Gaining respect in the church can also be difficult, but not impossible, for young people. From what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, the “youth factor” was something that bothered some people even back in the first century. And Timothy was probably around 30 (an old geezer by college standards). 

Even though he had been trained by Paul and had been sent as the apostle’s official representative, Timothy had to work hard to earn some respect. Paul told him, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

That’s a challenge we too need to accept today. If we want some respect, we can’t demand it, we need to earn it. As followers of Christ, that comes as we learn to control our words and as we live a pure and God-honoring life. If we take the faith seriously, others are likely to take us more seriously. —KD

REFLECTION

  • Do I feel respected by my employer? By teachers? By believers? 
  • What people do I respect the most? Why? 
  • In what ways am I being an example in “speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity”? (1 Timothy 4:12). 
To gain respect, give it to God. 



©2001 RBC Ministries—Grand Rapids, MI 49555