Remember your Creator in the days of your youth

Youth is a great stage of life, however, we must take advantage of it in such a way that when we reach old age we can be happy with what we did during that period. Youth is like the foundation of a house, if you have a good foundation then years later your house will remain in good condition, and that is exactly what life is like, if you take advantage of your youth, when you get older you will be happy with everything did.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said:

1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—

2 before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;

3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;

Ecclesiastes 12: 1-3

The most important thing is that we have God present every day of our youth, those days in which we are strong and full of possibilities. Many people spend their whole lives doing what they want, following whatever their heart desires, and many times those desires are corrupted and create incurable evils. The heart without God easily runs toward pride, vanity, sensuality, selfish ambition, and foolish decisions that seem pleasant for a moment but later produce deep wounds. There is no better legacy than serving God from an early age, because this helps us avoid certain decisions that can affect our future for many years. A young person who fears the Lord is not a prisoner of useless pleasures, but a person who is being protected by divine wisdom.

To walk with God in youth is to gain clarity before confusion arrives, restraint before sin dominates, and purpose before emptiness takes over. The Lord does not steal joy from the young; He saves them from false joys that promise satisfaction while quietly destroying the soul. When God is remembered early, youth becomes more than a period of natural strength; it becomes a season of holy direction, wise choices, and spiritual fruitfulness that blesses the years to come.

Friends, as long as youth is in us, let us serve God with all our heart. Let us do what we may not possibly be able to do when we are old: evangelize, do the work of God, go to the jungles, go to those places where no one wants to go, spend ourselves gladly for the cause of Christ, and pour out our energy in the service of the kingdom.

There is something especially beautiful about a young life surrendered to God, because it places vigor, courage, and time at the feet of the Lord. What is life? Life is a breath; it goes like the wind. It appears for a little while and then vanishes. Because of that, none of us should speak proudly of tomorrow as though years were guaranteed. We are called to serve while strength remains, while the feet can still run, while the voice can still proclaim truth, and while the heart can still labor with unusual zeal.

Yet even if we serve God in old age, and thanks be to Him that many do, the one who began earlier often looks back with greater contentment, because he can see that his best years were not wasted on emptiness. A life given to God is never lost time. Even the smallest act done for Christ in sincere faith has eternal worth and will not be forgotten before Him.

When we look closely at Solomon’s words, we notice that he is not simply giving poetic descriptions of aging—he is giving a loving warning from someone who understood the fragility of life. Youth is full of energy, dreams, strength, and opportunity, but those years do not last forever. The time eventually comes when the body weakens, when the mind no longer runs as fast, and when the passions that once drove us slowly fade away.

The eyes grow dim, the hands tremble, the steps become uncertain, and the pleasures that once captivated the heart no longer hold the same power. Solomon describes this reality not to frighten us without hope, but to awaken us to wisdom before the opportunity passes. That is why remembering the Creator early is not just wise advice; it is an act of mercy. Serving God in youth gives shape, direction, and purpose to every decision. It keeps us from paths that promise pleasure but produce destruction, and it leads us toward a life that will not bring regrets when the years have passed.

To postpone devotion is dangerous, because sin hardens and habits deepen. The longer a person lives for himself, the more difficult it often becomes to bow before God with a whole heart. But the young person who learns early to submit to the Lord finds that obedience becomes a path of peace rather than a burden.

Many older believers testify that the choices made in their youth shaped the entire course of their lives. Some look back with gratitude because they surrendered their years to God and saw His hand guiding them, protecting them, correcting them, and blessing them. Others look back with sorrow at wasted time, broken relationships, sinful habits, and painful consequences that could have been avoided. Youth is a season of sowing: the seeds planted then—good or bad—grow into the harvest we reap decades later. This is why Scripture urges young people to flee from sin, to seek wisdom, and to walk in the fear of the Lord.

The world tells the young to “enjoy life” and “follow their desires,” but God calls them to something greater: to build a foundation that will stand strong when storms come and when strength fades. The world praises freedom without boundaries, but biblical wisdom teaches that true freedom is found in joyful obedience to God. A person may laugh at counsel in youth and later weep over the fruit of his own choices. On the other hand, the one who receives instruction early often finds that even in hardship there is stability, because the soul has been trained to rest in the Lord. What is planted in youth is rarely left behind; it matures, deepens, and eventually reveals itself in the way a person lives, suffers, hopes, and dies.

Serving God in youth is not about missing out on life; it is about gaining a life that is truly meaningful. When a young person dedicates strength, talents, and time to the Lord, that person invests in something that has eternal value. The mission field, acts of service, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, generosity, and steadfast obedience—all these efforts plant seeds that continue bearing fruit long after youth has passed. And even when old age arrives, the person who honored God early will often have a heart full of peace, knowing the years were not wasted.

There is a quiet joy in reaching later years and being able to say, by grace, that life was not spent chasing vanity alone. Life truly is a vapor, but a life lived for God—whether long or short—leaves an impact that time cannot erase. It blesses families, strengthens churches, touches lost souls, and glorifies the Lord who redeemed us. So while youth is still within reach, let us embrace it intentionally, joyfully, and with a heart fully surrendered to the Creator who gave it. Let young men and women understand that now is the time to seek Him, now is the time to build holy habits, now is the time to learn Scripture, now is the time to fight sin seriously, and now is the time to make their lives count for eternity. The best youth is not the one most admired by the world, but the one most faithfully offered to God.