SBC Series of messages preached by Bro Koshi Mathew. Full text to be put up later.
You are Precious to God
(Isa. 43:4, 7)
Adolescence is one of the critical phase during the human life. It is a transitional phase that falls between childhood and adulthood. Biologically and Biblically this phase of life is very important. Physical and mental changes can cause phenomenal impact on personality. It is a restless stage. Children get puzzled at the sudden biological changes. Since this period being the age between thirteen and nineteen it is generally called as “teenage”. Biblical numerology suggests thirteen as the number of rebellion (Gen 14:4) .As per Jewish tradition age “thirteen” is very important.
Studies suggest that teens feel restless and worthless during this period of development. This is mainly because of the influence of the worldly values. such as a) Beauty b) Intelligence and c) Money. If any of these are lacking teens feel uncomfortable and “lost”. Let us turn to the Bible and see how God looks at it.
Beauty: God has created us for His Glory. Accomplishing divine purpose is more important than external appearance. This we see in the life of our Lord Jesus.( Isa. 43:1-7; Ps. 139:16-17; Isa. 53:2; 52:13).
Intelligence: Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Disciples were “ignorant and unlearned”, but when lived with Christ, they became wise and bold. (Prov.1: 7; Acts 4:13; Mk. 3:14).
Money: Money is needed to meet our daily needs. Money is a good servant but not a good master. Our Lord though he was rich became poor for our sake. (2 Cor.8:9; 1Tim. 6:8-11).
When our value system is based on the world standards we may feel restless and worthless. We can overcome this problem by recognizing God’s value system in our life.
Bible describes the sparrow as a worthless bird and the swallow as a restless bird; but in the altar of God, they found shelter and security. We are precious before God and need to hide behind the cross of Christ. Then and only then we would realize the meaning and purpose of life .
