Every day when I awake, I face the ultimate challenge. I live, while many around me seem content to exist. I have learned much about my own weakness and much more about God’s strength. … It is glorious! Glorious to succeed, and, yes, even glorious to fail! This is the essence of a true believer’s existence. This is the breath of Heaven and the taste of immortality.
This is the ultimate.
Settle for nothing less.
When you hear of a book called The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ, you may be skeptical of its content. “How does this Jerry Ross guy think he can talk about Jesus as a teenager? The Bible never talks about that.” But, using Luke 2:52, Pastor Ross takes a deep dive into the character and priorities of the young Christ. It is challenging and inspiring, providing “the ultimate pattern for teenagers today.”
Table of Contents
Jesus’s Top Priority
If you could know the primary pursuit of our Savior’s young life, would it not be sensible to make that a priority in your life? Would it not be foolish to reject this one thing?
Luke 2:52 says that his first priority was attaining wisdom. This should be of little surprise to those who know the Bible; the book of Proverbs is full of exhortation after exhortation for young people to get wisdom. Ross defines wisdom as “the ability and willingness to base all of our thoughts, actions, and decisions on the principles of the Word of God.” He then lists nine ways to grow in wisdom that any teenager can do.
The author also talks about foolishness—what it is and how to avoid it in friends and your own life.
Growing Up
After wisdom, the next priority of Christ was gaining maturity. How does the teenager do this? We look to I Corinthians 13:11 for an answer.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Using this as a pattern, the author works through each category: speech, understanding, and thought. He lays out the “Ten Laws of Excellent Speech,” all, of course, taken from the Bible. He encourages the reader to review them daily and memorize them to make them a part of their constant thinking.
Jerry Ross then dives into understanding, which is learning why God wants you to do certain things. The book gives a quick guide to studying the Bible, enough to get someone started on the path to understanding. Understanding brings a good attitude, happiness, a passion for the things of God, and more.
Finally, he discusses thoughts. The Bible shows certain thoughts should not be in our minds, such as daydreaming, pride, and evil. Following the advice of Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good,” the best way to defeat these thoughts is to fill your mind with Bible meditation.
“In favour with God and man”
For the next two chapters, we see how the diligent teenager can have favor in the sight of God and men. (Note that he’s not saying we should try to please men; he teaches that if people don’t like us, it should be because of our position, not our disposition)
Six steps are laid out for gaining favor in God’s sight, as well as six steps for being thought well of by adults.
The Final Chapters
For me to continue discussing each chapter would become redundant. Every page is filled to the brim with practical advice on how to live like Jesus. It won’t be easy, no, but it is simple.
In the final chapters Ross talks about how Jesus remained subject to his parents (which we have better reason that He to do, since we aren’t all-knowing) and that he learned a wage-earning skill. Again, he lists down-to-earth ways to do all of this.
The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ is a handbook for successful living that teens everywhere should read. Only around 120 pages long, it could take only an afternoon to read, but the fruits of fully applying these truths will last a lifetime.
If you are interested in this book, you will also likely enjoy Do Hard Things.
And as always, thanks for reading, and I’ll write you in the next one!
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