Love Jesus or Be Bored with Life

As a father of three daughters, I have developed some strong interrogation skills. My go-to line when boys come over to talk to my daughters is, "If you don't love Jesus, my girls will get bored with you." After I drop that knowledge on them, one of two things usually happens:

• The boy will agree and try to rattle off some Scripture verse he learned at VBS, or

• He will stare awkwardly into space and excuse himself, saying he forgot he had to be somewhere.

Teenage boys are under attack—not just by dads with daughters—but by our culture. We are bombarded with 3,000 commercial advertisements everyday, messages that lure us into thinking we need what they are selling. They lead us to believe their product has the power to make us stronger, smarter, better, and more attractive to the opposite sex. Teenage boys are targeted, through music, movies, video games, and even body spray more than any other demographic.

John 10:10 says, "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life" (NLT).

Culture is lying to teenagers, forever trying to convince them that what it has to offer will satisfy their every need. The reality is this—our image of self will be destroyed if we follow culture. Over time, we will not know who we are and will lose sight of the message that Jesus has the power to save our souls.

James 1:21 is pretty clear, "So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls" (NLT).

Loving Jesus brings us a life of more! Life in Christ is full of adventure, significance, and freedom.

Weekly, I meet with a group of high school boys. The group time consists of prayer for each other, holding one another accountable for actions, studying God's word, and killer biscuits and gravy. We have made Micah 6:8 our foundational verse. It says, "No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (NLT).

Together we are pursuing what it means to be men of God.

The boys all agree that when they apply Micah 6:8, God's power covers them. They experience favor with others and an uncontrollable desire to serve others. They are not being defined by the culture around them, but by the living God.

I have an older mentor who, after observing young men, said, "One hundred years ago, young men were fighting in wars, taking care of family farms, and working on inventions. Now young men stare at TV screens all day and play war. They wear baseball hats with every outfit and are unreliable at their jobs." Ouch.

Okay, boys, this is your call to action. It's time we act like the persons God created us to be. When we focus on God's promises, we will be changed from the inside out even though the culture continues to try to bring us down to its level of immaturity.

Join a group of other guys and start navigating life in Jesus together. Life in Jesus brings out the best in us.

Romans 12:3b says, "The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him" (TM).

Douglas Smith is lead pastor at St. Louis, Missouri, Trinity Church of the Nazarene after having served in several churches as youth pastor.

Holiness Today, Jan/Feb 2011

Please note: This article was originally published in 2011. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.