Carry It Forward

When I was a brand-new Christian at age 17, I knew a lot of people my own age, but I went out of my way to find older Christians to spend time with. I met people like Pastor Chuck Smith and his wife, Kay, at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. I also met Pastor Romaine, an associate pastor there. I had meals with them, spent time talking with them, and saw what Christians looked like, especially older, more mature believers. A little later, I became friends with the great British preacher Alan Redpath, who wrote a number of amazing commentaries. I also became friends with Billy and Ruth Graham. Spending time with these godly people had an impact on me.

When you’re young, you may want to spend time only with young people. But I encourage you to find some older, godly people you can learn from.

And if you’re an older believer, find a younger believer you can take under your wing. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others” (2 Timothy 2:2 NLT). Regarding His commands, God said to Moses, “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NLT).

If you’re an older Christian, you need to share God’s truths with younger people. And if you’re younger, you need to spend time with older, godly people.

As Christians, we’re in a race. This race has a beginning, middle, and end, and it’s a relay. Our job in this race is not to hold on to the baton forever. We must hand it over to the next runners, who will carry it forward.