Paul said, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul says young people should set an example in five ways.

Table of contentsWhen Young People Set an Example That Should Be Looked Down OnThe LaPierre HouseholdAddressing One of My Weaknesses as a FatherThe Journey to a Family BusinessThe 12 Disciples Were Probably in Their TwentiesGod Told the Prophet Jeremiah He Was Not Too YoungAccording to 1 Timothy 4:12 Young People Should Set an Example in Five Ways...First, Don't Let Anyone Look Down on You Because You Are Young by Setting an Example in WordSecond, Don't Let Anyone Look Down on You by Setting an Example in ConductThird, Don't Let Anyone Look Down on You Because You Are Young by Setting an Example in LoveFourth, Don't Let Anyone Look Down on You Because You Are Young by Setting an Example in FaithFifth, Don't Let Anyone Look Down on You Because You Are Young by Setting an Example in PurityGrace and WorkFootnotes

https://youtu.be/cEbcuvyEqf4

Paul said, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers" (1 Timothy 4:12).

The text in this post is from Work and Rest God's Way. There is also an accompanying Family Guide. Both are available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. I'm praying God uses them to exalt Christ in your lives and family and encourage you as you serve Him.

People with lazy childhoods rarely grow up to be diligent adults because they’ll bring the habits they developed in their childhood into adulthood; therefore, the best approach is to start training children to have a strong work ethic when they’re young. Their work depends on their strength and maturity, but even at a young age, they can do jobs around the house and sometimes even in the surrounding neighborhood.

In the church I pastor, we strive to take care of our needs ourselves as opposed to paying people to do it for us. This means we have a schedule for families to clean the church, instead of hiring a janitor to do it. We have church workdays versus hiring people for maintenance and repairs. When church cleaning and workdays take place, families perform these tasks together. Children work alongside adults. Unfortunately, in some churches, children might be the least likely to serve, but this is the opposite of what should be the case.

In Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20, Paul charged, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right,” and “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” Performing chores faithfully and with a good attitude is one of the primary ways children obey their parents. Parents can remind their children that 2 Thessalonians 3:10 teaches that people who don’t work shouldn’t eat. Are parents going to starve their children? No, but rare is the child who wouldn’t benefit from the lesson that missing a meal teaches. How many children would work more diligently if they were told the meal wouldn’t be served until all the work is done?

When Young People Set an Example That Should Be Looked Down On

Unfortunately, society makes children think they aren’t adults until they’re twenty-one, but they can behave maturely years earlier. Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). According to this verse, becoming an adult has more to do with putting away childish things than it has to do with age. Some children are mature because of the childish things they’ve put away. Conversely, some older people are immature because of the childish things they haven’t put away.

According to a 2017 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, 57 percent of today’s children will be obese by the time they’re thirty-five. The Centers for Disease Control found that obesity puts children at risk for many chronic health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, joint pain, and sleep disorders.

That same year, Harvard Health Medical School recommended children be active for at least one hour per day because, along with genetics and diet, the other major factor contributing to health problems is physical inactivity. Long periods of time in front of screens are the most common culprit. A 1995 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that children are 21.5 percent more likely to be overweight if they watch four hours of television per day.88

This bar of one hour of activity per day is so low I’m surprised it must be set. While the activity could be walking, playing outside, or riding a bike, chores and work have the added benefits of teaching responsibility and building character.

When children grow up without learning to work, they become entitled teenagers and young adults. They expect everything to be done for them and given to them. The premier example is youth suing their parents, such as when Rachel Canning sued her parents to force them to pay her private college tuition. Her father shared that “she didn’t want to follow our house rules concerning curfew and chores” – reasonable expectations – and felt entitled to “private school, [a] new car, [and] college education.” Ephesians 6:2 commands children to honor their parents, but Rachel, and children like her, do the opposite.

The LaPierre Household

In our household, we allow our kids to be bored instead of striving to entertain them. We haven’t introduced video games to them, and we limit what and how much they watch because we want to prevent them from developing certain appetites. This causes our children to find things to do, but we only make available what we believe is beneficial for them. We choose activities that foster creativity, such as music, art, reading, writing, and building. We purchase books, musical instruments, art supplies, and toys such as LEGO, DUPLO, and K’NEX. We typically avoid toys that require batteries or electricity. Since we want our kids playing outside, we invest in bikes, skates, scooters, jump ropes, and sidewalk chalk.

While we’re not always able to allow our kids to do what they enjoy—sometimes they must do chores they dislike—we try to see what interests them and help them grow in these areas as early as possible. I’ve told my kids that since Katie and I think it’s important for them to work, we’ll try to support their business efforts as long as they honor the Lord.

Our oldest child, Rhea, is twelve years old. She enjoys art and organizing. Last year she started selling personalized cards and signs with Bible verses. A few months ago, she started selling clothes and other items on eBay. We turned a corner of our basement into her craft room, where she does her work and keeps her supplies.

Our second oldest child, Ricky, is eleven. He enjoys outdoor work, such as landscaping. We encouraged him to walk around the neighborhood and ask people if he could mow their lawns. He ended up with so many jobs we had to tell him he couldn’t accept anymore because he wouldn’t have time to do his schoolwork and chores. We’re moving everything from the shed behind the house into the garage, so the shed can become his utility room with his tools, lawnmower, and weed eater.

Our third child, Johnny, is nine, and he loves animals. He asked neighbors if he could walk their dogs. Recently, he expressed interest in breeding and selling dogs, so we built him a kennel. When he gets older, he’ll probably be Ricky’s first employee for his landscaping business.

I’ve been reading the manuscript for Work and Rest God’s Way with my kids, and I told them I’d give them a dollar for every grammar mistake they find. We all benefit. My kids are reading a Christian book and improving their grammar, and I’m getting a book (hopefully) without spelling errors.

Addressing One of My Weaknesses as a Father

The summer after eighth grade I flew from California to upstate New York to work on my uncle’s dairy farm. This was when I realized I wanted to work in a nice, air-conditioned building, versus outside. As my sons have gotten older, it’s become apparent that they’re the opposite of me: they want to work outside.

Growing up I focused on athletics and academics. I went to school, practiced for a sport, came home, did homework, went to bed, and did the same thing the next day. This prepared me for college, but the downside is that I lack the automotive, mechanical, and hands-on skills many fathers have to pass along to their children.

Even if you’re more prepared to teach your children than I was, no parents can teach their children everything. For those areas of inexperience, we have a few choices.

First, we can learn alongside our children. This allows us to acquire a new skill and, even more importantly, spend quality time with them.

Second, we can find knowledgeable people for our children to learn from. Recently, one of our church deacons built shelves in our garage. My sons were with him to learn woodworking. I asked one of the men in our church to let me know the next time he was going to the range with his sons. I brought my boys, and they learned how to shoot guns.

The third possibility is self-directed learning. We can purchase books for our kids to read and have them watch instructional videos on the internet. Rhea regularly watches art videos. Since Ricky was given the shed for his tools, he’s been watching videos about organizing a workbench. Johnny’s been watching videos about dog breeding.

The Journey to a Family Business

Growing up, I wanted to go to college, graduate, and then become a teacher and coach. The idea of having my own business wasn’t attractive or unattractive because it simply wasn’t on my radar. When I began pastoring at Woodland Christian Church,