On occasion, we read something in the Bible which is so amazing that if it were not written in the very Word of God, we would not believe it. In Jeremiah 2:2, we see God recalling the early days of Israel’s love for Himself as we read, “I remember the devotion of your youth.” What is most amazing about this passage is that the word translated “devotion” is the Hebrew word hesed, which is usually translated as “lovingkindness” and directed from God towards men or between men. When directed towards God, it has the sense of strong and intense devotion. Indeed, only six of the 239 occurrences of this word are unambiguously directed towards the Lord (2 Chron. 32:32; 35:26; Hos. 4:1; 6:4 and Neh. 13:14 towards the temple). It is amazing to think that mere humans can have such lovingkindness towards God, but this is what we find in the Old Testament.
We do not live in Old Testament Israel, but there are two main applications for us today. First, we should consider the devotion which the church has to God. In considering this crucial subject, we must recognize that the church does not replace Israel in God’s great plans. However, we can draw some parallels between the people of God in the Old Testament and the people of God in the New Testament. For our second application, we need to assess the devotion of young believers to God.
Devoted Churches
The devotion of the universal church reflects the devotion of each local church, so it may be most helpful to consider the devotion of local churches. A local church typically starts when a group of believers are convicted of their need to gather together to remember the Lord and to support each other in the Christian life. It typically begins with a rush of enthusiasm and joy. Not only is something new being created (and I don’t mean a new building), but there is a special sense of closeness to the Lord. In that all the believers have this closeness to the Lord, unity is visible.
But as time goes by, this sense of youthful devotion can be lost. The reality that the local church is made of fallen (but redeemed) individuals weighs heavily. Some ministries of the church are hard to maintain, while others are difficult to end. The local church may become larger, but not everyone shares that initial sense of devotion. A church can fall prey to the “What programs are you offering?” mentality of consumerism, resulting in terrible weakness. Indeed it is possible for a church to limp along for many years in such a state. This church is like the one in Ephesus, which is described as having lost its first love (Rev. 2:4). It is left with a decision: repent and return to its initial devotion or give up on being recognized as a church by God (Rev. 2:5).
This is a serious and sober matter, and yet it is also one that should give us encouragement. The downward slide is not inevitable. The Head of the church wants great spiritual revival to break out in the local church, initiated by widespread repentance. Perhaps some of us have seen this firsthand in a church that is dying, unenthusiastic and apathetic, going through the motions, only to find a great move of the Holy Spirit breaking out among them. No local church is perfect, but if we could recall our youthful devotion, repent, and seek the Lord in prayer, we would see this happening in local church after local church.
Devoted Youth
But for our second application, we need to consider the case of young believers in their devotion for God. The Christian life starts with a blaze of devotion, newness, joy, and enthusiasm, much like the start of a new local church. But, also like a new local church, over time, that devotion can wane. Perhaps we have settled into a comfortable pattern. Or maybe the cares of life are pressing upon us. Or it could even be that our affections are cooling and we have made compromises with the world. In any case, we do not have the same devotion to God that we once had. We’re not exactly backslidden, but something is definitely wrong. Believers are eternally secure, so we cannot lose our salvation. But we can settle into a pattern of life that is joyless for us and useless to the Lord (except as a warning to others).
Thankfully, the prescription for the individual believer is the same as that for local churches: repent and do the things we did at first. Note that the first step is to repent. In other words, we need to have a change of heart. It is not sufficient to start with the “do the things we did at first” part. Our problem is not primarily about doing; our problem is one of the heart and mind and volition, not a problem with the hands. Repent first, and then show the fruit of repentance by doing the things you did at first.
But we would be remiss if we didn’t spend some time considering the spiritual disciplines which will serve young people well and prevent them from becoming apathetic as the years go by. Rather than reviewing the specifics of prayer, Bible reading, attending meetings, and sharing our faith, let’s address a misunderstanding that some young people might be laboring under. When we look at Lamentations 3:27, we read, “It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.” When I was a university student, I thought I was very busy and couldn’t wait to graduate so that I would have more time and energy to serve the Lord. But when I graduated and found a job, I discovered I was even busier than before, and I looked forward to being married. I thought that as a married man I would have more time for serving the Lord, with the two of us taking care of household tasks. But of course it didn’t work out that way, and so I found myself even busier. And then children came along. Then my secular employment became more demanding. And by this time I was of an age where I was expected to take on more responsibility in the church. At every point in life I thought I was busy, but as life has gone on, I have only become more and more busy. And so it really is true that it is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.
When you are thirty or forty or fifty years of age, you will not have time to study the Bible from first principles. You will need to draw on the well of material that you studied when you were in your teens and twenties. If that well is deep, you will be able to make the most of your service in later years. The devotion of your youth will serve as a foundation for the service of your middle and later years. The day will come when your local church will need you to take on some task, but that is not the time to start preparing yourself.
The time is now, to bear the yoke in your youth, to demonstrate the devotion of your youth. This is something that is pleasing to the Lord and will be satisfying to the spiritually-minded Christian young person.