Did I hear you say, “Youth is the time for pleasure, manhood for business and old age for religion? The story later will be, Youth is a mistake, manhood will be for struggle and old age will be time of regret”. This will not be your portion in Jesus name.
Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”. “Teach us” means, run from carry over. Don’t shift what you are supposed to do now to manhood, though your struggleness (in manhood) may likely determine your regret in old age. But to make the most of life, you must start early in the days of your youth (Eccl. 12:1).
In fact, 1 Corinthians 7:32-33 says, “Unmarried careth for the things of God while the married want to please their wife. And don’t forget that Jesus started when He was 12 years old (Luke 2:49).
Youthful is the combination of two words, “Youth” and “Ful” Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men”. The time to be useful to God is the youthful age (Eccl. 12:1-2).
However, for your youth experience to be full, you must grow and increase in:
Wisdom (mentally) – Acquire knowledge so that you will not perish (Hosea 4:6)
Stature (physically) – Ready to work because youth are known for their strength (Proverbs 20:29)
Favour with God (spiritually) – Move closer to God and be filled with Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:4). Jesus succeeded because of the Holy Ghost.
Favour with men (socially) – Know what is going on around you. Get updated with current trend and use the opportunity to spread the Gospel (John 2:1-12). The question is;
What are you doing on social media?
Is it to spread the gospel or for fun?
In the same vein, to be useful means, being of use or service; you can be useful to men and to God. When you are useful to men, you are also useful to God (Matthew 25:35-40). The most acceptable work is helping others. Therefore, be useful in these manners:
Be useful to yourself and your neighbors (Mark 19:19)
Be useful to your family and to the nation (Genesis 47)
Be useful by winning souls (John 17:8)
Be useful by serving Him with everything you have (Acts 2:44-47)
Be useful in His house. Get connected to one or two departments in the church (1 Samuel 2:18)
Remember in the Bible; Joseph was useful that is why his father liked him (Genesis 37:2-3); he was useful in Portipha’s house (Genesis 39:2-6; Genesis 40); his usefulness took him out of the prison (Genesis 41:9-14) to be useful to the nation.
Esther was useful (Esther 4 and 8); because of Samuel’s usefulness God called him for unmerited office (1 Samuel 3).
There are rewards to those that are useful (Matthew 25: 20-23, 28-29); Jesus tells them well-done, they have joy, they have in abundance, they are favoured, God increase and multiply them, they enter into the kingdom of God
They are also rewards to those that are not useful (Matthew 25: 24-27, 30); they disobey God, they despise God which leads to change of destiny (1 Samuel 2:7), they get reduced to nothing (Psalms 68:2), they will miss Heaven.
Conclusively, after you have belong to the Lord and useful to Him, you must flee from sin, always at His presence, love not the world (1 John 2:15-17), strengthen your life with fasting and prayers, be filled with the Holy Ghost, study the word, ready to stand out. Meanwhile, if you carry Jesus; you will be carried by Jesus.