Just back from a youth weekend which was great fun if very cold and tiring. How they managed to stay up until 4 in the morning on two consecutive nights I'll never know! Perhaps it's just a sign that I am getting old after all that I was in bed long before they were.
It was a good weekend which raised all sorts of issues that this group felt under pressure about. But fundamentally it raised one issue, though it was present only under the surface - is God good? That may seem like an odd question but it was in the context of why does God give us guidelines about who to date, whether to use drugs or alcohol etc...
It is a world of pressure for those who are trying to stand up for their faith in school or college. Ultimately it is an issue of whether what God says is for our good. Is it because God has my best interests at heart that the Bible says don't date someone who doesn't share your faith? Is it because God is good and loves me and wants what is best for me that the Bible says don't get drunk? And what about the drugs issue, the Bible doesn't clearly say don't, so what does it say?
It struck me that we assume young people will pick up on these things without maybe teaching them so explicitly, or we teach them as divorced from the character of God and they seem like arbitrary rules without the over arching reasons why God says. So the danger is that the question becomes why shouldn't I?
So why does God say date a Christian? Because you can grow together, because you can spur one another on, because it saves you from heartache, because you will be able to share everything. Because ultimately God loves you and he wants you to know what is best and to know him better.
The drink and drugs issues need to be taught in a similar framework? With the why not just what the Bible says.
It was a great weekend and a real encouragement to see young people wrestling with these issues and wanting to live godly lives among their friends.
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