Thoughts for Young Men | Part III
Author: J.C. Ryle
Written: 1888 (Reproduced excerpt from The Upper Room by J.C. Ryle)
Book Links: Thoughts for Young Men
Series Links: Part I | Part II | Part III
“It is only when self is nothing and Christ is all our confidence, it is then only that we shall do great exploits.”
Part II
General Counsels to Young Men
Hello Ordinary Readers,
Up to this point, Ryle has pointed out general reasons for exhorting men and the special dangers young men face. Now we get into Ryle giving young men counsel and this is certainly council all believers need to hear, especially young men. I would say the quote above gives a primary thesis of this section, Ryle leans heavily into making yourself little and Christ everything.
“(I) For one thing, try to get a clear view of the evil of sin” (37).
I remember before I started following Christ. I grew up on the edge of the so-called “bible belt” so for me God was real and hell and the devil were real. I just didn’t care. Part of that was not having a clear view of the evil of sin. And sadly today I think many young men (and women) also do not see this. This includes believers. Working in college ministry and on a college campus I see many that claim to be believers yet have pet sins. They could really use this section and understand as Ryle does that the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23).
“(2) For another thing, seek to become acquainted with our Lord Jesus Christ” (40).
This Ryle calls is the principal thing in religion. We must know Jesus Christ. Ryle is quick to point out that it is not just knowing Jesus by name but truly knowing him in your hearts. This is what keeps us and when we do we receive the Holy Spirit which gives us a new heart. I certainly know even as a follower of Christ that I must constantly be focused on Christ and not myself. When I start making much of myself that is when sin starts creeping back into my life.
“(3) For another thing, never forget that nothing is so important as. your soul” (42).
Ryle is here giving counsel to think eternally. We often only think with a short-term goal, especially young men. And even if you think you have the long term in mind saying things like, “I will study hard, get a college degree, work on Wall Street, and provide for my family” you are still thinking in the short term. Ryle points out our souls are eternal! Ryle writes, “You were placed here to train for eternity" (43). As I get older I see more and more the need to think eternally and how short life is.
“(4) For another thing, remember it is possible to be a young man and yet to serve God” (44).
Young men need to hear this. I know when I was in middle school and high school we made fun of the christians. Or we would see them as massive hypocrites because some would go to church yet also be out partying with us the night before. But I also saw some that did indeed follow Christ, grow in Christ, and be responsible for their faith. It can be done, and I think young men need to be told this.
“(5) For another thing, determine as long as you live to make the Bible your guide and advisor” (47)
Ryle charges young men to make reading the Bible a habit and one that can never be broken. Ryle writes;
Amidst the flood of dangerous reading, I plead for my Master’s book,-I call upon. you not to forget the book of the soul” (49).
What Ryle is saying here is that in his day there are so many “christian” books, newspapers, newsletters and so-on that many are reading more of this stuff than scripture. And man is this prevalent today. I mean anyone can have a blog these days, “yup coming from a guy who has no warrant to have a blog yet has a blog!”. What I see in many young men is just what Ryle is saying except now its podcasts. Yes, there are still tons of books and blogs but so much of what young men and women read today they hear from podcasts. I can ask how a student’s time reading the Bible has been and they say, “it is difficult” or “I just didn’t have time”, but they can tell me all about the most recent podcast they listened to. These are often Christian podcasts but they are not the word of God. I urge all to heed Ryle’s words, and be a man or woman of the BOOK, not podcasts, blogs, and the like.
“(6) For another thing, never make an intimate friend of anyone who is not a friend of God” (50).
The key word here is “intimate”. Ryle is not saying don’t be friends with sinners or unbelievers, but we must cling to our godly friends. We need their counsel and accountability. The danger of having very close friends who are not believers is that they can and often will corrupt you. Paul writes to the church in Corinth;
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Only one more part left to J.C. Ryles, Thoughts for Young Men. This chapter has been convicting for me but even more so encouraging. I really do hope this leads you to pick up and meditate on Ryle’s work. Don’t let these posts fool you I spent about one month on each section, and it is a short read.
Happy Reading!
Book Links: Thoughts for Young Men |
Series Links: Part I | Part II | Part III
QUOTES
“In the third place, I wish to give some general counsels to young men.”
“(I) For one thing, try to get a clear view of the evil of sin.”
“Your eyes are naturally blind to its guilt and danger, and hence you cannot understand what makes me so anxious about you.”
“...his will like a rudderless ship, tossed to and fro by every desire, and constant only in choosing any way rather than God’s.”
“Think, too, what it has cost to make atonement for sin, and to provide a pardon and forgiveness for sinners.”
“Will you play with poison? Will you sport with hell? Will you take fire in your hand? ”
“(2) For another thing, seek to become acquainted with our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“But let me not be misunderstood. it is not the mere knowing Christ’s name that I mean,-it is the knowing his mercy, grace, and power,-the knowing him not by the hearing of the ear, but by the experience of your hearts. ”
“I want you to be able to say of him, He is my peace and my strength, my life and my consolation, my PHysician and my Shepherd, my Saviour and my God.”
“It is only when self is nothing and Christ is all our confidence, it is then only that we shall do great exploits.”
“(3) For another thing, never forget that nothing is so important as your soul.”
“The works of statesmen, writers, painters, architects, are all short-lived: your soul will outlive them all.”
“You were placed here to train for eternity.”
“He measures all men by one standard, one measure, one test, one criterion, and that is the state of their souls.”
“(4) For another thing, remember it is possible to be a young man and yet to serve God.”
“Is not sin, sin, whether committed at the age of twenty or fifty?”
“You are responsible and accountable to God from the very moment that you know right and wrong.”
“But remember that little word I press upon y ou, and when Stan says, ‘You cannot be a Christian while you are young’: answer him, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: by God’s help I will try.”
“(5) For another thing, determine as long as you live to make the Bible your guide and advisor.”
“The Bible is God’s merciful provision for sinful man’s soul,”
“Young men, I charge you to make a habit of reading the Bible, and not to let the habit be broken.”
“Amidst the flood of dangerous reading, I plead for my Masters’s book,-I call upon. you not to forget the book of the soul.”
“(6) For another thing, never make an intimate friend of anyone who is not a friend of God.”