Young adults of the United Methodist Church have been told to remember their creator before the evil days come. The admonition was made by the Rev. S. M. Williams at last Sunday’s Western Area thanksgiving service in Hastings.
He advised the youth to be God-pleasers rather than men pleasers and to be themselves rather than trying to be like others because even Siamese twins, he said, could behave differently.
Preaching on the theme “Living as a youth, belonging to God”, he spoke of non-choices and choices in life, pointing out that while country of birth and parenthood were not within the ambit of choice other situations like friendships, careers and pleasure depended on individual volitions.
“Pleasure is fleeting and therefore youths should not be overly concerned with it. Pleasure is soon gone and the rest is nostalgia”, he added, adding that they should focus on the achievement of pleasures after this life.
Rev. Williams said nobody would choose suffering or hardship but pointed out the need for them to be able to endure them in the true Christian spirit.
He quoted St. Paul in Romans 8:18 as saying: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us,” and urged them to rejoice in their sufferings because they would pass away.
“The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, lust, anger, sloth, gluttony and greed,” he stated and singled out pride as being the chief cause of misery in every nation.
He denounced laziness by youths and told the story of a man who had been sitting around for God to supply proper food for his family. The man, he said, wouldn’t work. “I claim God’s promise of supplying all my needs,” he quoted the man as saying, adding that his family went hungry, which certainly was not God’s way of doing things.
The Rev. Williams warned against fatalism, noting that whatever happened was predestined and inescapable. He inveighed against the fatalists, stating that Satan had a role in the affairs of men in wreaking havoc.
(C) Politico 03/06/14
