Straight Thinking for Youth

Sunday. A clean mind—a perfect man. “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Our thoughts are usually reflected in what we say and how we act. It’s especially important, then, to fill our minds with things that are honorable, just, and pure in order to live as we ought. (Read Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 15:11, 17-19; Philippians 4:8.)

Sunday. Nobody in the Bible is pictured more vividly than the apostle Peter. His growth from a rash fisherman into an unwavering witness for the Christian faith offers a challenge to every disciple of Jesus. Early on, Jesus foreshadowed this change when he changed his name from Simon to Cephas—a rock (Peter). (Read John 1:40-42.)

Sunday. The apostle Paul grew up in Tarsus, Cilicia, an education center of his time. He studied in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, one of Judaism’s most famous rabbis. He led the early Jewish persecutions against the church in Jerusalem. After his notable conversion, he became the most zealous propagator and defender of the faith the world has known. In this respect, he was the greatest man that ever lived. (Read Acts 22:3; 9:1-6, 17-20, 31; Galatians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 15:9-10.)

Sunday. “Today is the happiest day of my life.” These were the words of Mr. Carr, who was recently baptized one week after his seventy-seventh birthday. Christians are happy when a person finally comes to Christ even though he has lived so long without him. It is better to come late than never to come at all, but is it not be better to have the joy of serving Jesus even from the days of your youth? (Read Ecclesiastes 11:9-10.)

Sunday. What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Maybe a member of your immediate family died in a fire that burned your home. A car wreck may have injured you permanently. Do not blame God. Take courage with the assurance that he permits calamities as a means of helping us mature through suffering. (Read Hebrews 12:5-10.)

Sunday. How much responsibility do we have? That depends on how much responsibility God has given us. He holds us responsible for what we can know. We do well not to take firm views on how he will handle the heathen who’ve never heard of him. But we that have Bibles in our homes cannot claim ignorance of our God-given responsibility, which includes making known to the unreached the fullness of the Bible’s sacred contents. (Read Ezekiel 3:18-21.) 

Sunday. You committed yourself and your life to Christ by obeying God’s plan of salvation to the extent of being baptized. You must not submit to the temptation of the teen years when the lure of sins is especially strong. If you forsake the love you had for Christ at the first, you relinquish the hope you have through him in the end. (Read Revelation 2:4, 5, 7.)

Sunday. In chapter 2 of his epistle, James, the Lord’s brother, fires away at people that do nothing about their belief in Christ. Like tracer bullets, his warnings come again and again throughout the chapter. “Faith, if doesn’t have works, is dead by itself”; “people are justified by works, not by faith”; “faith without works is dead.” His meaning becomes clearer if we use “belief” in place of “faith.” Believing does not change anything till it does something. (Read James 2:17-26.)

Sunday. Life is a flood of decisions: to be or not to be, to do or not to do, to speak or be silent. Some decisions are more important than others; some are easier to make; some can be altered from time to time; others, once made, are final forever. Whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not, whether we’re ready or not, life goes on—a rushing torrent of decisions. (Read 1 Kings 3:5-9.)

Sunday. “It was very good.” God’s original estimate of his wonderful world may not seem to be correct in this time of war and riots and sin. Consequently, people that distrust God and doubt his word need answers to questions like these: “If God is good, where did evil come from? It he is all-powerful, why doesn’t he do something about it” (Read Genesis1:31.)

Sunday. Do you want to be a leader? There’s some prestige associated with being in the spotlight. What satisfaction in making decisions and having others go along with them! And then, wouldn’t it be gratifying to have people come to you for advice before making their decisions? Leadership ability is extremely important in the eyes of the world, but learning to follow is the first art in becoming an effective leader. (Read Luke 22:25.)

Sunday. Some might say that today’s world no longer needs the ancient gospel, but in so saying they demonstrate that they are unaware of the content and purpose of God’s word. The advance of time and technology does not affect the truths that the Lord has revealed to us. Loving our friends as much as ourselves is an example of a divine precept; it is not altered when our neighbor replaces a log cabin with a modern mansion. (Read Mark 12:28-31.)

Sunday. Heaven is not a come-as-you-are party. God doesn’t call us at the last minute and expect us to put in an acceptable appearance. We know far enough in advance that when death or the Lord’s return issues our final summons, we should be prepared to accept it. We must come then and come as we are; but, if we’re not ready, it will be no party for us. (Read Matthew 22:1-14.)

Sunday. CERTAIN. Jesus promised, “I’ll come back.” The time is not specified, but the promise is sure. Every attempt to predict the date of Christ’s return has utterly failed. The Lord himself did not know when it would be; we don’t need to know either. The time is not important because the fact is certain. (Read Mark 13:26-27, 32.)

Sunday. One significant question is, “How do people know they have the Holy Spirit?” Some believers think we can just “feel it in hour bones.” But we cannot just rely on “feelings.” The Spirit of the Lord, who gave Samson his extraordinary strength, left him because he told Delilah that the secret of his great strength lay in his long hair. But “he didn’t know the Lord had left him.” (Read Judges 13:2-5, 24-25; 14:5-6, 19; 16:15-17, 20.)

Sunday. Of all things, Moses refused to be the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. That refusal cost him the pharaohship. A comparison of the Old Testament record with Egyptian history seemingly shows that Moses could have been in line for the throne of Egypt. How many people would turn down the presidency of the United States to serve God? It takes faith to refuse. (Read Hebrews 11:24.)

Sunday. When God gave Solomon the choice of anything he wanted, Solomon showed his wisdom by asking for it. If God were to give you second choice, what would be your request? Remember how long it took you to learn how to work that one kind of algebra equation? Weren’t you disgusted when you couldn’t remember how to work it for the semester test? It would be great if you could just ask for the ability to remember everything! Or would it? (Read 1 Kings 3:5-9.)

Sunday. BE AWARE. We have a good conscience if it’s free from the guilt feeling. The trouble is, we’re like almost everyone else; we probably do something every day that’s wrong and then feel guilty about it afterwards. How can we maintain a clear conscience when we’ve offended someone, including God? The first thing in curing a bad conscience is to understand that sin ruins a good one. (Read Acts 24:16).

Sunday. The differences between people’s preferences become more acute as we grow into adulthood. But we must always remember that God bountifully blessed us by placing man among men. He thereby made possible a whole realm of happiness in social living. The giving of every good fortune brings the responsibility or receiving it. (Read Romans 14:1-12.)

Sunday. Realize that fear can be sin. In the Book of Revelation, John lists people that will have their part in what he calls the lake of fire and sulfur. The first kind is the fearful; the second is the unbelieving. Something’s wrong with our belief in God and our faith in Christ if we are constantly beset with fear. (Read Revelation 21:8.)

Sunday. TO BE TRUE. “There are those who trust you.” Being able to trust us brings so much satisfaction to people that care about us and place a high value on our character. But the fullest confidence leaves the emptiest feeling if it’s lost. If we have never looked into a face filled with the disappointment of betrayed trust, we never want to; if we have, we will never want to again. (Read Hebrews 13:18.)

Sunday. Job said, “There is hope for a tree if it’s cut down, that it will sprout again”; but, “If a man dies, will he live again?” Jesus answered this haunting question by showing that people do not go into the grave, but through it to heaven on the other side. Is it incredible that the corpse in a coffin will live again? Not anymore! (Read Job 14:7-14.)

Sunday. How can anyone deny the resurrection of the dead? The pilgrims would never have believed that television was possible, but it’s a little hard to deny its existence now. So is it a little hard to see and talk to the Master in front of his empty tomb and yet deny that there can be life after death? (Read John 20:11-18.)

Sunday. SALVATION. Our greatest blessing is salvation. We remember Christ’s death and resurrection throughout the year as well as at “Easter” time, but we note that about this time in the spring about two thousand years ago, Christ died and arose from the tomb. In doing so, he made a way to deliver us from our past sins; in so doing, he also provided continued forgiveness of subsequent sins through prayer. He gave obedient people hope of eternal life in heaven. (Read Galatians 4:10-11; Romans 4:24-25; Acts 8:13, 18-22.)

Sunday. PRAYER. “The prayer of a good person accomplishes a lot.” God gives liberally to us if we ask in faith for blessings that accord with his will. He is approachable. When we pray, he will not rebuke us for being so presumptuous as to ask him for something. (Read James 1:5-6; 4:3; 5:16b; Matthew 7:7.)

Sunday. SOURCE. When Jesus returned to the Father, he ascended into the sky and a cloud received him out of sight. Showers, coming from the sky, often symbolize the source of blessings—heaven; because “every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above--from the Father.” (Read Mark 16:19; Acts 1:1-11; James 1:17.)

Sunday. Christ is “head over all things to the church.” That’s why the religion he established is called “Christianity.” So the church he founded should exalt its Head in name and claim and deed by yielding to his authority alone. All and only his commands should govern its members and determine its course. (Read Ephesians 1:21-22.)

Sunday. We hope for good things, not bad. We experience Christian hope as the assured expectation of future good. It looks to the future because it becomes reality as the future becomes the present. We have assured hope because God has made the promise; we expect it because his promises are not conjectures or probabilities, but history revealed ahead of time. (Read Romans 8:24.)

Sunday. The church means a lot to many young people. Straight carries articles about outstanding teens, the kind that seem to spend every spare minute at the church, that find a satisfaction in doing a good job for God, and are willing to try anything for him. Such examples are good ones to follow and better ones to set. (Read John 6:27.)

Sunday. Since the first days of the church’s existence, Christians have assembled on Sunday. The apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer distinguish this gathering from others. Our regular attendance at church is a personal testimony to those outside the Lord’s body; it is an example to other young people of the congregation. Sharing in worship strengthens us for a persistent witness for Christ. (Read Acts 2:41-42; Hebrews 10:22-25.)

Sunday. Jesus was not the only one that ever died on a cross. In times of war, the Romans crucified hundreds of captives simultaneously. By this means they frequently destroyed criminals and slaves that committed major offenses. Jesus was not the only one that died on a cross, but he was the only one that died that way intentionally. (Read Luke 23:34; John 10:17-18.)

Sunday. Do you think of yourself as sinful? Like most people, you probably feel you are pretty decent since so many people you know are worse than you are. As a result, you may associate sin with extreme evil in others, but the slightest sin in your life is enough to classify you as a sinner too. As long as you suppose you’re good, you are ensnared in sin’s trap of deceit. (Read 1 John 3:4; 1:8; James 2:1-11.)

Sunday. What kind of person do you think you would be if you had other parents, if you were a boy instead of a girl, if you were living in a different place in another time? Would you still be a Christian? Maybe you aren’t a Christian; do you think you would have accepted Christ if things were different somehow? (Read Jeremiah 31:29-30.)

Sunday. “And he was rich.” Zacchaeus, the tax collector, had plenty of what most young people hope to have when they become adults. A lot of people have a continuing objective of having a bigger income. Young people make plans to get a college education because they realize that it will probably enable them to get a higher paying job. But “people’s lives do not consist of the abundance of what they own.” (Read Luke 12:15.) What is your goal in life?

Sunday. “Let’s go die with him.” “Doubting Thomas” refers to one of Jesus’ apostles. But notice his proposal to the other apostles as they were preparing to accompany Jesus on his death mission to Jerusalem. Rather than doubt, these words testify to notable faith and courage. His commitment to Jesus was not a fair-weather fancy; it prompted the determination to give his “last measure of devotion.” (Read John 11:16.)

Sunday. The most obvious things are not always the easiest to see. Did you ever look at a road map and finally discover that the name you were searching for was spelled in the largest letters on the map? The most certain fact ever known is that God exists; once people come to believe in God, they can’t imagine how they ever didn’t. (Read Luke 24:13-32)

Sunday. OBEY GOD. Have you ever consoled yourself with the thought, “God knows how I feel about him; he understands that I can’t be perfect”? Actually, God is not satisfied with how we feel about him if we do not believe strongly enough to act in accordance with our faith. Yes, we will not achieve perfection, but we are obligated to try. Christianity is a religion to be lived, not a philosophy to be believed. (Read James 2:14-26.)

Sunday. Many of you high school seniors may be in for a jolt six months from now. Some college professors get a kick out of shaking up “green freshmen” and listening to them rattle around trying to justify what they have always accepted without question. And the self-appointed dormitory philosophers may try to pin you in the corner of your room, demanding on-the-spot reasons for what you believe. What will you say? (Read 1 Peter 3:15.)

Sunday. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” Beside the dusty road that led from Jericho to Jerusalem, a blind beggar sat facing the voice that could command his eyes to see. But instead of a command a question came, “What do you want me to do for you?” What! Didn’t Jesus know? In fact, didn’t everybody that was there know? (Read Mark 10:47, 51.)

Sunday. PRICELESS. The value of salvation cannot be calculated. The glories of living eternally in heaven are a welcome exchange for the torments of dying forever in hell. If you were ever saved from drowning, you know how grateful a person is for being spared. You recognized for the first time the preciousness of your life on earth. What could you possibly give in return for eternal life in heaven? (Read Matthew 16:26.)