Key Verse: Verse 11 – “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
From my vantage point there is no generation in history which has had such a fantastic future as do the youth of today. They have greater opportunities for learning, greater tools to help accomplish goals (i.e.: computer, Internet, etc.), and thanks to a tense world situation, a greater motivation to accomplish something constructive
The tragedy of all this is that too many of our youth are sacrificing their fantastic future for the fun-filled present. This leads me to a portion of Scripture found in Matthew 25:14-30 where Jesus is talking about the future kingdom. In that prophetic story, He lays out three principles for success that every young person ought to apply to their life. Every parent should help their own youth in the application of these principles as well.
Principle #1: We start as servants before God makes us rulers. Matthew 25:21, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” God’s pattern has always been to start at the bottom and work up. It makes you appreciate what you have a whole lot more than having it just handed to you. (I’ve seen over the years that the government isn’t the only one that gives out welfare money; parents do as well.) Joseph certainly started at the bottom. He was a servant in Potiphar’s house. Worked up through the system (through God’s intervention) and became the governor of Egypt.
Principle #2: We start with a few things before we are entrusted with many things. Matthew 25:21b, “Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many.” Let me tell you about a British youth of a century ago. He was saved at the age of 15 and began immediately to serve the Lord by passing out tracts around his neighborhood. When he was 16, he taught a Sunday school class. At the age of 17, he pastored a small church of about 40 members. As he was faithful year by year, the congregation grew and at the age of 30, Charles Spurgeon was speaking before thousands each Sunday. He was faithful with a few, and God blessed him with much.
Principle #3: We start with work before we experience joy. While I do believe in having fun, you spell service W-O-R-K. It is not fun to learn Algebra equations or musical scales, but once you learn them, you have opened the door to enjoyment.
Dr. Mike Rouse
What to do:
✞ Apply the principles listed above
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