Speed kills! This is not only true when it comes to driving. Take
fertilizer for example. The right amount of fertilizer will make your lawn beautiful,
while too much of it will kill your grass, making it look like a straw doormat.
In the last two or three decades there has not been a great number of
young people, in particular, young men, who have committed themselves to serving the Lord
and His people. (Thankfully, there have been some.) This condition has caused some, with
good intentions, to press any who show the slightest interest into service before they are
ready, and before they really got their roots well established. Many are rushed into the
pulpit and some into an itinerant ministry. Others are made Sunday School superintendents
while still very young. Sadly, the long term record of some of those who are
"overfertilized" has been tragic.
May the Lord give us the wisdom to encourage young people to serve Him,
while giving them the proper time to mature. Let’s not rush them into instant
responsibility and notoriety, and too often into failure. (1 Tim. 3:6,10) Let us also
remember that education, even "Bible College," is no substitute for time and
experience. The best lesson for many young people to learn is to "work," before
entering the "Lord’s work," (1 Cor. 4:12; 1 Thess. 4:11)