Sabbath, March 28, 2009

 Youth is the most beautiful period of life. A young person has many proj­ects, dreams and aspirations. His or her strength and talents, if well channeled, can be a great help for God’s people. “Young men and women are invited to give God the strength of their youth, that through the exercise of their powers, through keen thought and vigorous action, they may bring glory to Him and salvation to their fellow men.” –Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 535. It is very important for the church to help the youth to channel their feelings, abilities, enthusiasm, energy and ideas in an appropriate way. The church must provide the necessary means to help the youth to develop in the areas of physical, moral and spiritual health. Let us not forget that in the Holy Scriptures there is a divine invitation to the youth to surrender to the Lord, “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26), and the church should help so that this ideal may become a reality.

In the Bible we find examples of young people who accomplished great work in their time and left indelible footprints among their contemporaries and also for the future generations. The life of each one of them was as bright and shiny as the stars in the firmament. Their convictions and attitudes made them great in their own time and in some cases, they influenced in to a great degree the course of events of world empires.

The case of Joseph is worth mentioning since his example of faithfulness and integrity led him, after enduring many trials, to occupy the position of gov­ernor of Egypt. Daniel and his three companions are even today an examples to be followed by the youth of our times, and a testimony of what young people can achieve if they place their lives in God’s hands.

Young Samuel, Isaac, David and many others gave an us examples of faith, courage, enthusiasm, obedience patience and perseverance and left an indel­ible mark on history. Today, their lives continue to be a pleasant fragrance that encourages and inspires countless young people in the world to continue fighting the good fight of faith.

The church needs the kind of youth that cannot be bought or sold, young people who are ready to defend moral principles and live their faith just like others did in the past, because the future of the church is its youth. We need new missionaries, canvassers, doctors, musicians, accountants, etc., young people who are willing to surrender all, and are ready to live the great adventure of faith; young people who, with their example, challenge the modern monsters of materi­alism, immorality and unbelief. We need young people who will actively cooperate in their local churches and use all their talents to serve others. Their energy, if wisely used, will be a great motivation for the church and a blessing to the world.

God’s people urgently need to pay more attention to the work with the youth. The devil is working with all his strength to separate the youth from God’s way in order to corrupt them. He uses the blinding lights of worldly pleasures to take away our dear youth. We have to double our efforts to stimulate the youth to lift our principles. We need to show them the great benefits they will obtain if they consecrate their lives to God. We should place before them the perfect example to be followed: the Lord Jesus Christ–the friend of the youth.

The General Conference wishes to cooperate with this work; therefore the Youth Department is busy preparing the proper materials and plans to hold edu­cational seminars in order to achieve this goal. We receive many calls from dif­ferent countries for the General Conference to send its representative to give ori­entation and help. We have many young people in our ranks and the unions and field conferences ask us to send them material and to support different projects, some of them already in progress in South America and Africa, with the purpose of helping the youth, but we do not have enough means to carry on this work suc­cessfully. We need your financial support! The General Conference kindly asks your help so that we may provide support to the unions, field conferences and missionary fields. May God bless you richly for your generosity!

Your brother and coworker,
–José V. Giner
Leader of the General Conference Youth Department