What am I doing before the Lord?
That is a thought-provoking question. It is a question that every teenager, every young adult, and every adult, who claims to be a Christian, should ask themselves everyday. In a sense, that would be a way of keeping their spiritual accountability. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question? Then, what do you do when you come to the house of the Lord? Honestly, do you come to church just because your parents, somehow, are making you come? Maybe you come because you also want to meet your friends there and chat with them before, during, and after the service. Am I right?
In chapter 3 of the book of I Samuel we read about a teenager whose name was Samuel. He was just a 13 year old boy. The first verse of that chapter tells us that “the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord…” Amazing – a teenager ministering before the Lord! What does that mean? Does it mean he preached? Does it mean he led the worship service? It could mean all of that, but Samuel was not there yet. It means that despite being a teenager Samuel was doing his best to take his relationship with God seriously.
By the way, the word ministered here means served. Simply put, Samuel served before the Lord. He served before the Lord by doing simple things like opening and closing the doors of the temple, and paying close attention to what was going on in the house of the Lord. Samuel did not disconnect himself from the worship service by talking with pals sat by him, or sending and receiving text messages to and from friends afar, or even playing games on the cell phone as a way of killing the ever present teenage syndrome – the boredom (I am bored!). Samuel did better than that. And I would dare to say that he might have done more than just taking care of the doors and showing reverence in the temple. He might have read the Scriptures (the Bible) to the congregation, or played a musical instrument in the worship band, or passionately sung songs of praise during the worship service, or even prayed, just to name a few. Wow! That’s cool!
Let us go back, then, to the thought-provoking question. What am I doing before the Lord? Am I just being a spectator and a distraction to my peers before the Lord? Am I doing everything else but serving before the Lord in His house? I sincerely regret being a spectator, or a distraction, or a … whatever. I want to go back to the “heart of worship” and minister before the Lord as Samuel did because I do not want to miss the blessings that come from that.
That is a thought-provoking question. It is a question that every teenager, every young adult, and every adult, who claims to be a Christian, should ask themselves everyday. In a sense, that would be a way of keeping their spiritual accountability. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question? Then, what do you do when you come to the house of the Lord? Honestly, do you come to church just because your parents, somehow, are making you come? Maybe you come because you also want to meet your friends there and chat with them before, during, and after the service. Am I right?
In chapter 3 of the book of I Samuel we read about a teenager whose name was Samuel. He was just a 13 year old boy. The first verse of that chapter tells us that “the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord…” Amazing – a teenager ministering before the Lord! What does that mean? Does it mean he preached? Does it mean he led the worship service? It could mean all of that, but Samuel was not there yet. It means that despite being a teenager Samuel was doing his best to take his relationship with God seriously.
By the way, the word ministered here means served. Simply put, Samuel served before the Lord. He served before the Lord by doing simple things like opening and closing the doors of the temple, and paying close attention to what was going on in the house of the Lord. Samuel did not disconnect himself from the worship service by talking with pals sat by him, or sending and receiving text messages to and from friends afar, or even playing games on the cell phone as a way of killing the ever present teenage syndrome – the boredom (I am bored!). Samuel did better than that. And I would dare to say that he might have done more than just taking care of the doors and showing reverence in the temple. He might have read the Scriptures (the Bible) to the congregation, or played a musical instrument in the worship band, or passionately sung songs of praise during the worship service, or even prayed, just to name a few. Wow! That’s cool!
Let us go back, then, to the thought-provoking question. What am I doing before the Lord? Am I just being a spectator and a distraction to my peers before the Lord? Am I doing everything else but serving before the Lord in His house? I sincerely regret being a spectator, or a distraction, or a … whatever. I want to go back to the “heart of worship” and minister before the Lord as Samuel did because I do not want to miss the blessings that come from that.
By Once A Teenager (B Monteiro)
9/3/2007
9/3/2007
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