[This reflection by Michael Goble was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 21/Sep/2025]
We love our large oak tree in the garden but at this time of year it begins shedding many acorns which we have to rake up from the lawn. Fortunately the falling leaves come a couple of months later. It is an amazing part of God’s creation that this large tree came from one acorn. I thought of this when we heard about the experiences of our young people with their stay at the Mid Wessex Camp, and the encouragement this gives them to grow in their Christian faith and to do things for Jesus.
Barbara and a friend used to lead a group at church for young people called, “The Good News Gang”, and it was surprising how many of them grew up to have jobs working for Christ. Some years ago at Spring Harvest we went to a late night concert for young people, and queued up with hundreds of teenagers to hear a rock gospel band play. The young girls near us couldn’t understand what we two fifty-year-olds were doing there and asked why this was. Barbara explained that the lead singer and guitarist used to be in her group at church, and I had lent him records of Elvis Presley and other pop stars for him to run a disco. We caught up with him after the show, and the last we heard of him was when he was the musical director of a large church in Manchester.
We are blessed in our church to have enthusiastic teachers and leaders of our young people, who will be needed as they grow older to be used by God to bring others to know Jesus as their Saviour and the Lord of their lives. Leading young people in this way involves a lot of hard and tiring work, and at the time the leaders don’t know what the result of their work will be. But God does, as they follow His will to build up the lives of the young in the church.
The other day I heard someone on the radio give a long list of little known Christians who over the years were used to encourage other saved followers of Jesus to do mighty things for Him. Those they encouraged became well known Christians such as Wesley and Billy Graham. This is true for anything that any of us do for our Lord. Only when we go to be with our Father in heaven will we know whose lives we helped build up in the faith, and what they in turn did to serve Jesus in His Church. Sometimes we may get tired or need encouragement but let’s keep on going with the Spirit’s help. We don’t know which mighty oaks we may be helping to grow.
“Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap if we do not give in.”
Galatians 6 v9 [AMP]
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Last Sunday’s reflection: Drops of Encouragement by Jill Norman
Contributed by Michael Goble; © Michael Goble