Youth · 7 days
Young on Purpose
Identity and courage to live your faith in your generation.
Who it’s for
Seven days with young people of the Bible to ground your identity, purity, and courage.
- Young adults — Identity, purpose and courage for your generation.
What you’ll grow in
How the journey is organized
- Day 1Let no one despise your youth1 Timothy 4:12
- Day 2Known before you were bornJeremiah 1:5Available in the app
- Day 3Decided in the heartDaniel 1:8Available in the app
- Day 4A path kept purePsalms 119:9Available in the app
- Day 5Flee and pursue2 Timothy 2:22Available in the app
- Day 6In the name of the Lord1 Samuel 17:45Available in the app
- Day 7Remember your CreatorEcclesiastes 11:9Available in the app
Day 1 · Let no one despise your youth
Today’s reading: 1 Timothy 4:6-16
6If you instruct the brothers of these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have followed. 7But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness. 8For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now and of that which is to come. 9This saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance. 10For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11Command and teach these things. 12Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. 13Until I come, pay attention to reading, to exhortation, and to teaching. 14Don’t neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the elders. 15Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all. 16Pay attention to yourself and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1 Timothy 4:6-16 · World English Bible
Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity.
Context
Paul writes to Timothy, a younger coworker he had left in Ephesus to look after a church threatened by false teaching. Timothy learned the faith from his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5) and seems to have been shy. He was young to be leading older people, and Paul knew some would use his age as a reason not to listen to him. The apostle’s answer is not an argument, but a way of life.
Maybe you’ve heard something like “you’re too young to understand,” “you’ll see when you grow up,” or “that’s just a phase.” Sometimes it’s true that you lack experience. But sometimes it’s just a way of not taking you seriously. Timothy knew that feeling. He had a big responsibility and an age that made some people roll their eyes.
Paul’s advice is surprising. He doesn’t say “demand respect” or “prove to everyone you can do it.” He says, “be an example.” The answer to being looked down on isn’t an argument; it’s a life. No one has to agree with your ideas to be affected by the way you live. An example speaks louder than any argument.
Paul names six areas. In word: what you say, comment, post, and share. In your way of life: how you act when no one is watching, at school, at your internship, at home. In love: how you treat people who can’t give you anything in return. In spirit: the inner life no one else sees. In faith: trusting God when the future is foggy. In purity: what you let into your heart and what you do with your body. This isn’t a list to make you anxious; it’s a map of where God wants to grow in you.
Notice verse 7 too: “Exercise yourself toward godliness.” Paul uses a gym image. No one builds muscle by reading about exercise; you build it by repeating, every day, even when you don’t feel like it. Life with God is similar. Prayer, reading the Bible, community, small decisions: these are reps that slowly build a strong faith. And verse 15 talks about “progress,” not perfection. God doesn’t expect you to be finished; he expects you to be growing.
You are living through a season full of pressure. Entrance exams, college, a first job, family expectations, social media showing everyone else’s perfect life. It’s easy to think your faith will only matter later, once you have a home, a career, and some stability. But you aren’t just “the future of the church.” You are part of the church now. God isn’t waiting for you to get older before he uses you.
Over the next seven days, you’ll look at young people in the Bible who made a difference in their generation: Jeremiah, Daniel, David, Timothy. None of them was perfect. All of them were afraid at some point. But all of them discovered that their age wasn’t the limit. The limit was the size of the God they trusted.
To reflect onIn which of the six areas (word, way of life, love, spirit, faith, purity) do you feel you most need to grow right now?
To live it today
- Choose one of the areas in 1 Timothy 4:12 and decide on a concrete action for today, like not passing on a piece of gossip, helping out at home without being asked, or praying before a test.
More questions
- When someone looks down on your age, do you usually argue, hide, or live in a way that speaks for itself?
- Who your age needs a good example nearby, and how can your life be that example without you having to preach?
Prayer
Praise
Living God, you don’t look down on my age. You called young people before, and you call me today, just as I am.
Surrender
I give you the pressure to prove my worth, the comparison with others, and the fear of not being taken seriously.
Petition
Help me grow in word, in my way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. May my progress be real, one step at a time.
To memorize
Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity.
Read also: 2 Timothy 1:5-7 · Psalms 71:17 · Lamentations 3:27
Continue in the app: days 2 to 7
Each day brings a reading, a devotional, a guided prayer, a journal question and a verse to memorize. Pick up where you left off.
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For your everyday
Scripture on this page: World English Bible (public domain). How we write the journeys