Elevating Faith Across Generations: A Call to Action for Young Believers

Guest writer: Juniah Ramirez

Leviticus 24-25; Romans 1; Psalm 127

(Romans 1:21)
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

I found today’s Bible reading to be quite impactful. Despite not being a child, I am still young. Honestly, anyone older than me tends to refer to me as youth, so let’s roll with that for today. These verses truly challenged me. As a young person, I’ll admit that I knew God but didn’t honor Him the way I should have.

For a season, my heart may not have darkened, but it certainly hardened due to typical reasons that many young people face. I encountered situations that caused hurt, experienced moments of betrayal, and, as someone with a testimony knows, in the midst of trials, the Lord sometimes takes a back seat. In this distracting world, it’s easy to lose focus.

Now, let me sound a bit like my mom here—ready? Friends, I’m not just talking to my age group. Don’t we all go through this? Haven’t we all experienced such seasons? Looking at where this world is heading, we can’t keep bandaging up our issues; we need to address them. The Lord desires a mature, unified bride, and we can’t be easily offended, willing to settle below the standard.

I’m well aware that due to my age, it’s quite convenient to let certain things slide. We all go through that phase of being young and making mistakes. Recently, my mom shared a post where she talked about a lady who came in, genuinely repenting for what her generation has been saying about mine.

To be completely open, I thought, “Well, you aren’t entirely wrong about my generation. We can be lazy, rude, and think we know it all.” Honestly, it hit home — we need to set our standards higher.

The truth is, whether young or old, the Lord can use us. We’ve seen it with Abraham, an older gentleman, and David, who was even younger than me. Despite the criticisms about the next generation, we’ve allowed the standard to be lowered. The Lord doesn’t compromise the standard based on age. It stays the same whether you’re young or old.I don’t want to be just another person who knows the Lord but gets away with things because of my age.

I aim to be part of the generation that elevates the standard, showing the last generation that we can meet the expectations the Lord has set for us. Achieving this involves not only honoring the last generation but also setting an example for the one that’s coming next.

Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts

1. Reflect on Romans 1:21 and consider your own life. In what ways have you known God but failed to honor Him as you should? What steps can you take to change this?
2. Think about a time when your heart felt hardened by life’s trials. How did this affect your relationship with God, and what helped you to refocus your faith during this period?
3. The post mentions the importance of not settling below God’s standard, regardless of age or generation. Identify areas in your life where you might be compromising and discuss how you can elevate those standards to honor God.
4. Reflect on the notion of generational responsibility mentioned in the post. How can you, regardless of your age, contribute to breaking negative stereotypes and elevating the faith standard within your community or family?
5. Considering the call to be a mature and unified bride of Christ, what are some practical ways you can work towards unity within the Christian community? How can you encourage and honor both the previous and the next generations in your faith walk?

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