Christian Priorities for Young People

Our priorities show what is important to us. As young people, what should our priorities be? 

The teenage years are relatively short, lasting for about seven years. 

Therefore, it is important to get your priorities right while you are still a teen and make efficient use of your seven teenage years. 

In this blog post, let’s consider the priorities we, as young people in the Church, should have and discuss habits we can form to maintain those priorities. 

This post was inspired by the LifeHopeandTruth.com article “Christian Priorities: Putting God First” by André van Belkum. 

Here are three priorities every young Christian should have in his or her daily life.

Priority #1: God

Without a doubt, God should be first in our lives. In Exodus 20:3, God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” 

In ancient times, the various nations had their own gods, like Baal, Asherah and Dagon. Even God’s people sometimes stumbled and worshipped these false gods of wood and stone. 

Today, people probably don’t worship those specific idols. Instead, they worship the idols in their hearts—materialism, vanity and careers, just to give a few examples.

The Bible warns us against having idols in our hearts, which cause us to sin and become estranged from God. Ezekiel 14:3 says, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?”

These idols of the heart refer to anything or anyone that we put first in our lives that isn’t the true God of the Bible. Whatever we consider the most important thing in our lives becomes the god we worship. As young people, it’s important to ensure that God is first in our hearts and lives. 

So, how can you put God first?

Spend the beginning part of your day with God

Here is one practical way to put God first: allocate your first waking hour to studying and praying. Reading the Bible and praying to God are our means of communication with God. We know that communication is essential in relationships, and it is no different in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

Starting your day with Bible study and prayer allows you the opportunity to literally put God first, before getting distracted by other things. If we have a busy morning, we can wake up early, just as Jesus Christ often did when He was in the flesh. 

On occasion, He woke up very early in the morning, while it was dark, to pray to His Father (Mark 1:35).

Priority #2: Build godly and righteous character

It’s important always to remember that we cannot develop godly, righteous character alone. We need to humbly ask God to help us know and do His will. As we do His will, we develop His character within us. 

Romans 12:2 says that we should “be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind, that [we] may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

The late Herbert W. Armstrong defined righteous character this way: “It is the ability, in a separate entity with free moral agency, to come to the knowledge of the right from the wrong—the true from the false—and to choose the right, and possess the will to enforce self-discipline to do the right and resist the wrong” (The Incredible Human Potential, p. 134).

Our perfect example

To attain this perfect character, we must imitate the example of the young Jesus Christ. Luke 2:42 says, “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.” 

From an early age, Jesus Christ made consistent choices to obey God’s laws and commandments. This is an excellent example for us to follow. We also should consistently make right choices in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

As we consistently make the right choices by obeying God’s laws and commandments, we will gradually develop obedience and faith in Him. This process will last a lifetime, so it’s good to start now. 

We will never achieve complete perfection in our physical lives, but God wants us to work to obey Him. When He transforms us into spirit beings, we will be perfect as He is. 

For now, we should do our part to develop godly, righteous character.

Priority #3: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This verse tells us to seek spiritual things before we seek physical things. 

The spiritual things we should focus on are our personal relationship with God and our desire to build godly character. But what are “these things” Jesus promised He would give us? He alluded to our physical needs. We need food, clothes, a place to live and other necessities of this physical life. But God tells us not to worry about them because He will provide them (verses 25-33). 

The world is hectically seeking after “these things,” but the Bible tells us not to be like the world.

Expectations for young people

As young people, we must realize that we have to work to provide for the needs of ourselves and others. 

We also need to exercise to maintain a healthy, strong physical body. Therefore, physical work and exercise should be on our priority list. 

However, God tells us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first, and He will provide for our physical needs.

What should young people do?

Young people should prioritize these above all else:

 1. Building a relationship with God.
 2. Developing godly, righteous character.
 3. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

We must remember to establish our priorities according to this list. If we do, we will be on our way to godly success.

Study more about this subject in our online articles “What Can We Learn From Jesus’ Childhood?” and “Christian Priorities: Putting God First.”

Mark Gideon Agayo attends the Baguio City, Philippines, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.