The fact that we are Godly youths does not in any way mean we should be ignorant, uninformed, benighted, unaware, and backward or even lost in the constantly advancing and evolving world we find ourselves. Contrary to this, the bible in Ecclesiastes 11:9a says “Young people, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in.” (NLT), the King James Version (KJV) says “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes.” In light of this, we can say that following trends (whether they are in fashion, music, social media etc) is not in itself wrong at all because as youths these are the things that give our youthful heart cheer & delight our eyes. However, there are a few things we must consider;
Repugnant to some foul doctrine(s) that a lot of us youths have taken to and accommodated that may or may not have been coined from scriptures such as the one I quoted above, there still exist boundaries, in fact a lot of them I must add.
Firstly, as much as the Bible according to Ecclesiastes says we should walk in & probably delight in what we see (which can be translated to dressing to our taste), we also need to consider Matthew 5:16 which says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Note that this scripture puts our outward appearance before our actions. If we decide to bring this home to our everyday life, when we for example hit the market to buy fruits like oranges, papaya, banana etc, we do not cut them open before we select the ones we take. 2 Corinthians 6:17a says, “Therefore, Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” This obviously means the Lord expects to be able to identify us at a glance.
Secondly, as we indulge ourselves in following trends to speak against those things we perceive are wrong in our community, society or even our nation as a whole, or against our leaders either in those things we find very appalling or amusing, we must take very stern caution because Proverbs 10:18b-19 says “… And he who spreads slander is a fool. 19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”
Thirdly and most importantly, whilst we are enjoying our youthfulness, expressing all our vigour, taking delight in our eyes and pleasing our heart, we must consider the concluding part of the scripture in Ecclesiastes 11:9b which says “But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.”
Finally my fellow youths, Ecclesiastes 12:1 says “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not…” And Verse13 says “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
By Daniel Shamoney
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