Youth

David Maas, focusing on Psalm 90:12, an admonition to number our days in order to get a heart of wisdom, launches the fourth installment of the W's and H's of Meditation, reflecting on the stark contrast between God's robust eternity and mankind's fragile mortality. Meditating on the perils of our transitory existence paradoxically leads to a longer, happier life now as well as in the future, as our portion of God's Spirit grows within us, satisfying our craving for something permanent and eternal- namely becoming a member of God's family. The scriptures are replete with metaphors describing the brevity of life, including a shadow, a sigh, a breath, smoke, withering grass, a vapor, a weaver's shuttle, a hand-breath, etc. The antidote to despairing about the brevity of life is to live in day-tight compartments, redeeming the time by yielding to God's Spirit, becoming firmly grafted into the vine (Jesus Christ) in order to enable ample bearing of spiritual fruit, overcoming carnality, building Godly character, and ultimately becoming a member of God's family.

John Ritenbaugh, focusing on Proverbs 22:6 and the principle of habits formed early interfering with newly acquired behaviors, suggests that the rapidity with which ancient Israel returned to behaviors learned in bondage in their formative years derives from this principle. The harmful things people learn thoroughly in their youth will sabotage any helpful steps to correct this earlier enslaving conditioning. Forty years on the Sinai failed to wash out these noxious youthful habits and behaviors Israel learned in slavery. Jacob's children to this very day have failed to rid themselves of the disgusting compromising habits that lead to slavery. Britain is rapidly losing the culture war to Muslim invaders as evidenced from the major cities in Britain occupied by Muslim mayors enforcing Sharia law. The United States, for decades weakened by 'progressive' leftist Communist, socialist influence in academia and politics is following Britain's sorry, disgusting example. The sun has indeed set on the British empire, and unless some unforeseen repentance occurs within the United States, America will also fall into the same deadly quagmire. The prophecy given by Nikita Khrushchev on November 18, 1956, "we will bury you," seems to be coming true.

Kim Myers, warning teenagers and young adults, who will be starting their own families shortly, to avoid the world's holidays (Satan's counterfeit 'Holy Days'), explains the pagan origins of New Years, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and birthdays. The most universal of the counterfeit festivals is New Year's, derived from the Saturnalia sun worship, involving orgies, drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, and child sacrifice. The accoutrements surrounding Easter-eggs, rabbits, ham, and hot-cross buns all derive from the Babylonian mystery religion involving Semiramis, Nimrod, and Tammuz. Halloween and the Day of the Dead derive from the Celtic Festival of Samhain, a time the Irish lit bonfires and put on costumes to ward off ghosts. These ancient customs began two generations after Noah and his family left the ark, with Ham's grandson Nimrod. Most thinking people are aware of the pagan origins of these customs, but Satan entices them into accepting them through the appeal of pleasing children and grandchildren with something fun. As God's called out ones, we should not let Satan guilt us into compromise; we should not be afraid of being weirdos and oddballs, swimming upstream against a Satanic culture hurtling toward perdition and disintegration.

Mike Ford, describing a picture of a fox hiding in the middle of a group of bloodhounds, with the caption, "When in trouble, try to blend in," compares this picture to the results of a Barna poll stating that 59% of 'Christians' do not believe in Satan. Hollywood and the 'progressive' media have done a good job of providing protective cover for Satan and his demons. We can see the hand of Satan in the transgender movement, the obsession with climate change, and the abortion plague. To promiscuous 'progressive' feminists, emboldened by the hideous Roe v. Wade decision, killing a child is like having a flu shot. California taxpayers have paid for 88,456 abortions, but have paradoxically fought to keep 126 murderers (some of whom had inflicted indescribable torture on their victims) alive. As the people of ancient Judah offered sacrifices, including their own children, to other gods, modern Israel follows their practice, murdering their children in abortion clinics. Satan exists; Satan hates God: Satan hates families. Thankfully, God's power far eclipses anything Satan can possibly do.

Martin Collins, referring to a recent study reported by Psychology Today, stating that cohabitation has led to increased divorce, marital violence, and lack of fidelity after marriage, points out that mass media has shamelessly used sex to promote materialism. Sex has been characterized as the cornerstone of mass persuasion. Consequently, faithful marriage is endangered as the flames of lust, encouraged by mass media, have caused individuals to sin against their own bodies. God invented marriage to typify the union between Christ and the church, designing male and female (not the 58 genders proposed by one major media network) to meld into one complementary union-a single organism. The world mocks marriage, ignoring the rules instituted by God Almighty which would guarantee its success, body-body, soul-soul, and spirit-spirit. God asks Christians to marry another Christian in order to avoid the pain, lack of compatibility, and heartache of being unequally yoked. Compartmentalization is not an option in a Godly Marriage. In the Ephesians 5:22 formula, wives subject themselves to their husbands as to Christ, but husbands are mandated to love their wives as Christ loved the church, being willing to sacrifice their lives for them. God will not answer the prayers of husbands who do not love their wives. As both husband and wife yield to Jesus Christ, their love can be perpetually rekindled.

Mike Ford, reflecting upon the high prevalence of 'snowflakes' (i.e., anxiety-ridden young people) needing a safe place, exemplified by the Yale girl shrieking for a safe place from Halloween costumes, and Harvard snowflakes, terrorized by having to pay library fines, contends that we have never experienced such fearfulness in pre-adults. A major contributory factor of this snowflake syndrome was the self-esteem movement of the 1960's, which brainwashed young people into thinking they were unique and special. Today's parents, refusing to teach their offspring responsibility, turning them over to government-controlled daycare at a young age, are turning the current generation into packs of violent savages. The family has been under attack since the 1960's, leaving in its wake a new normal of narcissism and irresponsibility. The youths Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had no fear of trial because they feared God more than raging fire. The antidote to fearfulness is God's Holy Spirit, destroying cowardice with a sound mind and a good work ethic.

Mike Ford, acknowledging that learning is a never-ending process, maintains that senior citizens have just as much capability of learning as younger people do, but "seniors" utilize different parts of their brain. To be sure, because we lean towards resting on our laurels and coasting, learning as we get older tends to slow down, but it does not have to be that way. As we systematically and daily ingest God's holy Scriptures, including the Psalms and Proverbs, we might be well-advised to arm ourselves with a highlighter or pen to mark those new insights we have previously overlooked. Proverbs 1:5 assures us that a person mature in the faith can always learn more; it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks.

Kim Myers maintains that, while many people in the world likes some of God's laws, such as the proscriptions against murder and theft, they like to pick and choose when it comes to the rest, preferring a blend of their own preferences with some of God's laws added in. The penalties that result from breaking God's laws are sure and exacting, as we witness in homes in which adultery or fornication has taken place. Breaking any of God's laws is the height of stupidity. The experiences of those who have once committed to God's ways and then started to compromise have not been pleasant or successful. Young people, unfortunately, seem to be oblivious to painful cause-and-effect relationships. One does not conceal his foolishness in a vacuum, but it is on display for everyone to see. Our nation has felt the incremental effect of God's curses as it systematically replaces tenets of God's Law with foolish laws concocted from human reason. God's called-ones must not follow suit, deciding which of God's laws we keep, and which to discard. We must embrace the full counsel of God, trembling before His every Word. We want to have joy by living by every word that comes from His Mouth.

John Ritenbaugh, focusing on the 1953 feature-length motion picture starring Alan Ladd as Shane, an enigmatic gunslinger who rides into a small Wyoming town, in hoping of settling down and escaping his past. Soon, he is forced to take sides in a land war between cattlemen who want an open range and homesteaders, who want to fence in the land to grow crops and feed livestock. In one moving scene, Shane, who has been hired by one of the homesteaders, gives a lengthy soliloquy on integrity to the homesteader's son Joey, who has bonded to him as a role model, , cautioning him that a man can never escape his past, but must carry it with him perpetually. If the past is good, the present can't hurt you, and if the past is bad, it will haunt you. In Wordsworth's words, "The child is the father of the man." If one's life is based on a consistent framework of principles, he will have a harmonious and productive life. Job's righteous character was formed early in life; God did not punish Job for his faulty character, but refined Job, transforming fragile human righteousness into durable godly righteousness. Like Job, we are God's children, given trials to refine our integrity to be just like His.

Martin Collins, citing statistics from the World Health Organization, identifies suicide as the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds, immediately following homicide and accidents. It is the tenth leading cause of death for all ages, snuffing out 105 lives each day and 300,000 per year. Contributory factors for this evil include depression, deteriorating family life, media glorification, and the pervasive drug culture. The progressive liberal culture, promoting early sexuality, self-esteem, and self-love since the early 1950’s, have not factored in the inconvenient truth that the brain development of a young adult often does not coalesce until the age of 25. The perverse self-absorption promoted by our current culture is a major contributory cause of suicide because individuals feel they are responsible only to themselves, forgetting that God is the giver of all life and owns us totally. We are not our own; we belong to God. Suicide is a direct breaking of the Sixth Commandment. The antidote to suicide is to replace the twisted, skewed, self-absorbed mindset with a determination to serve others, taking upon ourselves the yoke of Jesus Christ, who alone is able to heal a broken heart.

Ronny Graham, acknowledging that very few prophecies have occurred the way any of us had speculated, advocates that we take a balanced, far less dogmatic approach to prophecy, realizing, of course, that a full one-third of the Bible is prophecy, the majority of which has not yet been revealed, much less fulfilled. One prophecy which seems to be rapidly unfolding before us in the recent years is the one in Isaiah 3:12, warning of children as our oppressors and women as our rulers. During the past year, assessing the mayhem from the riots in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Cleveland, we acknowledge the oppressors to be mere youths, born into families in which the fathers have run away or have been driven out. Mothers of criminal youths cannot believe "why their babies have been shot." The liberal media characterize young shoplifters and thieves as 'protestors.' Tragically, in the black community 7 out of 10 youths do not have a father; 72% have been born out of wedlock. In the meantime, weak-willed and compromising men have abandoned their leadership roles in government and the church, and radical feminist women have rushed in to fill the void created by this 'leadership drain.' In our nation today, gangs (unsupervised young boys and , increasingly, girls) are responsible for 50% of all crimes, and the frustrated police are rapidly losing control. Political parties quarrel on trivial issues, and only a fraction of the current political leaders want to trust and acknowledge God for anything. Anyone with eyes and a modicum of common sense can see the prophecy of Isaiah 3:12 unfold before us.

John Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the recent untimely death of Amanda Allen , focuses on some lyrics of a popular song recorded in 1975 by Matt Monro, titled "Yesterday When I Was Young." Sadly, wisdom is not a trait valued or acquired by youth, but takes second place to strength, beauty, or fun. We get too soon old and too late smart. Everything we do, eat, or think about matters, impacting on our total quality of life. There is still time to seek and dedicate our lives to God for our eternal profit and satisfaction.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  How does a young person seek God? Some people, having grown up in certain evangelical circles, have an overly sentimental opinion of how an individual should come to God. ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  Proverbs 15:21 makes an interesting comment on the subject of foolishness: “Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly.” ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  Ecclesiastes 2 records what Solomon experienced when he was a young man in the prime of his wealth and power. ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  Part of the problem that confronts young people today is that they—and frankly, all of society—have a devilish misconception of what is fun. ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  For the past sixty years, America has been dominated by one particular generation of its citizens, the many millions born just after World War II, also known as the “Baby Boomers. ...

"Things fall apart. The center cannot hold," wrote W.B. Yeats in his famous, "The Second Coming," a short poem about the declining morality of the twentieth century. ...

II Corinthians 13:5 charges us with the responsibility of examining ourselves. This is appropriate at any time during the year, but it is especially helpful as we prepare to take the Passover and renew our covenant with God through Jesus Christ. One very important area to search out concerns self-righteousness because it lies at the root of many other sins. ...

Amos 8:11 speaks of "a famine . . . of hearing the words of the LORD." Such a spiritual famine is occurring today: The words of God are readily available, but few are hearing them. David Grabbe explains this prophecy and its connection to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

In Ephesians 6:2, the apostle Paul designates the fifth commandment as "the first commandment with promise." What is the connection between honoring our parents and long life? David Maas, observing the declining family in America, reveals a vital link between honoring parents and wisdom that can lead to "length of days."

Keeping the Sabbath definitely marks a person as different. Perhaps the feeling of being odd that comes from Sabbath observance affects young people most of all. Clyde Finklea recounts the story of a friend's momentous choice regarding his keeping of the Sabbath, a decision he had to make all on his own.

David F. Maas:  Have you ever tried to jump across the Mississippi River? I have done this several times. ...

Martin Collins, reflecting on the pervasive influence of pornography on the Internet, television, music, and print media, suggests that young people engaging in premarital sex are acting like sheep to the slaughter, totally oblivious to the real facts of life. Dating should be preceded by wholesome group activities; God created us as social beings, placing a longing in each individual for a member of the opposite sex. The purpose of dating should not be considered merely a pre-marriage ritual designed to prepare one for marriage, but instead (1) to develop wholesome interactions with the opposite sex in contrast to the world's dating games, totally mired in the lures of temptation and emotion described by James 1:14-15; (2) to help individuals to see their own strengths and weaknesses, gradually understanding themselves; (3) to develop practice in serving others, and (4) to discover the person one will marry. The more similarities there are in a relationship, the less likelihood that conflicts will emerge. A key ingredient in the dating process is faith in God's purpose in each person's life. The relationship one has with God takes precedence over any relationship with any other human being.

We live in a youth-oriented culture. Once a person grays and wrinkles, he is essentially pushed to the margins of society, but this should not happen in the church of God! The elderly have a great deal to offer—if we will only pay attention.

All of us—teens and adults—have felt the stress of peer-pressure in one form or another. Though the Bible does not use the term, it teaches us not to conform to our peers but to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

PBS's "Merchants of Cool" on Frontline is a sober probe into the research and marketing of what teens consider "cool." Knowing the way big business and big media push-the-envelope today, the results should not be shocking. The conclusion of the documentary is that every new teen fashion, music, movie, television, and language trend is marketed and sold to the teen—and pre-teen—set by the media in cahoots with major advertisers. Our kids are being manipulated to absorb and reflect a deviant culture. ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. ...

John Ritenbaugh debunks the foolish notion that it does not matter what we wear if our heart is right on the inside. Our clothing as well as our outward conduct must match what is going on in our inner heart or being. Our clothing, often symbolizing righteousness, ought to reflect or symbolize our inward character. We are admonished to dress up to the standards that God finds acceptable. Old Testament examples of the importance of dressing up before God or when we enter His presence include Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons. When God entered into a marriage covenant with Israel, He dressed her up in quality clothing, but when Israel played the harlot, her seductive clothing became a symbol of defiance against God. As Aaron and his priestly sons were commanded to wear special clothing symbolizing purity and righteousness, we as a forming kingdom of priests, must give attention to our clothing as it symbolizes our inward spiritual character and submissiveness to God.

John Ritenbaugh, focusing upon the redemptive process, indicates that redemption obligates us to glorify God in our bodies and our spirit. Spiritually, we are literally owned by Christ and are duty bound to do what He asks. Hair length and clothing are outward indicators of a person's inner spiritual condition. Clothing serves as a testimony of what we are on the inside, reflecting our attitude and conduct. As Adam and Eve discovered, the intents of the heart cannot be hidden from God. Their clothing, consisting of sacrificed animal skins, to conceal their shame prefigures Christ's sacrifice to cover our sins. We advertise the contents of our hearts by what we wear. Unfortunately lust and sexual perversion fueled by discontentment drive the tastes of much the fashion industry. What we wear automatically influences our behavior. Like hair length, our clothing also indicates God ordained gender distinction.

John Ritenbaugh cautions that placing our hope in the wrong thing can jeopardize our relationship with God. We must remember that God alone is the source from whom all blessings flow, and that we need to reciprocate those gifts back to God,fearing and standing in awe of Him, honoring Him, and conforming to His standards. We must always look for the spirit and intent of what God commands rather than look for a specific "thus saith the Lord" clause. The liberal mindset looks for loopholes or strategies for circumventing God's commands, but the Godly mindset fears transgressing the intent and spirit of the law. Formality and decorum (in terms of dress and behavior) are part of godly standards and sanctity.

Directing his comments to teenagers and young people, John Ritenbaugh focuses on the epidemic of Adolescent Invincibility Disorder Syndrome, an affliction in which young people foolishly imagine themselves to be invincible and impervious to harm. Young people in the church must realize that not only is God's law no respecter of persons, but also sanctification can be lost. Young people must aim at self-mastery and self-discipline, developing patience, thinking ahead to the consequences of behavior. God's law proscribes death for a young person who curses his parents, and being cut off from God's divine guidance has just as deadly a consequence. Young people need to cultivate early the habit of remembering God, embracing His law as their code of life.

Martin Collins assures us that even loyal servants of God, the stalwart pioneers of faith, have had to contend with major depression and discouragement. Following the categorizing of several types of depressive conditions, he analyzes the major contributory spiritual and electro-chemical factors in these psychological states. Godly antidotes to depression include rest, refocus, right expectations, and obedient actions. If we 1) focus on the awesome Creator, 2) remember the spiritual goal, 3) pray and study daily, 4) be patient with self, others, and God, 5) be content, 6) be positive, making each day count, and 7) be faithful to God, we can overcome depression. Not eliminating stress but perceiving God's sovereign control will determine our success in this struggle.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh:  Do you know of someone who has done everything perfectly? Conversely, do you know of someone whose whole life is one big mistake? Have you ever made mistakes—maybe a lot of them? We have all done stupid things in our lives. ...

In this vital message on honoring our parents, Martin Collins stresses that dishonoring one's parents is a serious abomination in the Bible, considered a capital offense by Almighty God. As the only commandment with a direct promise of longer life, the fifth commandment applies to physical parents and by extension all other positions of authority, even perverse authority—as long as they don't demand the breaking of God's commandments. Fathers must be worthy of honor, teaching their children, as the patriarchs instructed their offspring, to honor God. The father's attitude, good or bad, is contagious, setting the moral tone or mood for the entire family. The sermon gives many examples of precepts, patterns, and principles, illustrating proper honor to worthy and unworthy parents, including respect for God the Father, showing humility and yielding to correction.

The rash of school shootings in America definitely has a cause, but it is not the ones that the "experts" blame on the evening news. Richard Ritenbaugh argues that the cause can be found in God's absence from our schools and public life.

In this sermon, Charles Whitaker focuses on the marvelous opportunities for young people in God's church who find themselves on the threshold of God's Millennium, a time population growth will take place in abundant prosperity brought about by creative God-inspired technology, refashioning and terraforming the entire eco-system. In this Edenic setting, the family of God and the family of man will be collaborating on preparing the world for billions of additional human beings in the Great White Throne Period. Abundance, growth, and an expanding population of animals and people will characterize the New Eden, constructed out of the tohu and bohu or wreckage of the previous era. Young people need to prepare themselves now, envisioning themselves as architects, civil engineers, transportation engineers, explorers, teachers, replacing today's inefficient and misdirected technologies with God's perfect and efficient technology.

Richard Ritenbaugh, observing how the mood and attitude of a generation shapes society, focuses upon the ramifications of the Baby Boomers "Youth Culture," pampering, overprotecting, and worshipping its young people. It teaches a narcissistic, "look out for Number One" attitude, delaying responsibility and prolonging fun. In contrast, Solomon suggests that childhood and youth are vanity, and that having fun, without bringing God and His laws into the picture, may bring flawed character and permanent sorrow. Young people tend to run wild when they do not have a godly vision to work toward. Pleasing God and parents takes precedence over peer pressure. The only satisfying way of life is one lived under the guiding hand of God. The result is manifested in the way one lives.

Though experts proclaimed the twentieth century the Century of the Child in 1899, from a biblical perspective our social advancements have made life worse for our children. Martin Collins shows how the Bible predicted this of the end-time generations. (Also includes the inset "America's Lost Children.")

How are the young people in the greater church of God supposed to approach the dating situation today? This article addresses this issue and gives advice on dating, sex and enjoying your youth.

Richard Ritenbaugh asserts that the fulfillment of the Day of Trumpets has the biggest immediate impact on us of all the Holy Days. This day depicts the time immediately before and after Christ's return, a time that if God would not intervene, no flesh would survive (Matthew 24:22). The Baby Boomers enabled us to annihilate life in many different ways many time over. The characteristics of their offspring - the Thirteenth Generation (or Generation X) provide a perfect match to the characteristics of II Timothy 3:1-3. These attitudes provide positive substantiation that we are living in the last days. Realizing these signposts should give us the urgent incentive to repent and overcome, preparing for the time fulfilled in the Day of Trumpets- the Day of the Lord.

John Ritenbaugh insists that, when it comes to the consequences of sin, "there ain't no free lunch" (likewise there is no such thing as a victimless crime.) Children (actually all of us) need to learn that we often suffer the consequences of other people's sins. Children, because of their failure to connect cause and effect or time connections, do not seem to comprehend the devastating long-range consequences of sin. Only the immature think they can escape the penalties of broken laws. God's Law is immutable and unchanging. Parents need to teach their children to consider the long-range consequences of current behaviors, chastening and disciplining them while there is hope. The historical testimony of the scriptures reveals that God's purpose or counsel cannot be altered and that His judgments are totally impartial. If we, as parents, realize these principles, we will rear our children to fear God and respect authority. Children must be taught the long-range as well as the short-range cause/effect relationships between sin (or lawbreaking) and the deadly certain penalties that follow.

John Ritenbaugh reiterates that since a nation is, for the most part, a family grown large, respect for the fifth commandment constitutes the basis for all good government. The family provides the venue for someone to learn to be hospitable and to make sacrifices for one another, learning the rudiments of community relations. For the child, parents stand in the place of God in the family structure, as the child's creator, provider, and teacher. Successful parenting involves sacrifice and intense work. The quality of a child's relationship with his parent (as well as the quality of parenting) determines his relationship to the community as well as to God. Compliance to the fifth commandment brings about the built-in, promised blessing of a long quality life. Our obligation to honor and to take responsibility for the care for our parents (as well as those more elderly than we are) never ends.