Day 28 — Pass It On

“And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.”

— 2 Timothy 2:2 (BSB)

The apostle Paul had a young helper named Timothy. You met him in Book 1. Paul was like a father to him. He taught him, traveled with him, trained him and trusted him with important jobs.

Near the end of Paul’s life, he wrote Timothy a letter. And in it, he gave him a very important instruction: “The things that you have heard me say… entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.”

Count the generations in that one verse:

1. Paul taught Timothy.
2. Timothy was to teach faithful men.
3. Those faithful men would teach others.

That’s four generations! Paul was saying: Don’t let the faith stop with you. Pass it on.

That’s how the good news of Jesus has traveled for two thousand years. Someone taught someone, who taught someone, who taught someone, all the way down to the people who taught you.

And now it’s your turn.

You might think you’re too young to teach anyone anything. But there are younger boys all around you who look up to you: little brothers, cousins, neighbors, kids at church, younger guys on your team. To an eight-year-old, an eleven-year-old seems really grown up!

Here’s how you can pass it on:

• Be a good example. Younger guys are watching how you talk, play and treat people.
• Be kind to them. Don’t brush them off. Include them.
• Teach them what you know, like how to throw a spiral, build something, or do a math problem.
• Tell them about Jesus. Share a Bible story, pray with them, or tell them what God has done in your life.
• Encourage them. Cheer them on and tell them what they’re good at.

When you help someone younger, you become someone’s Elijah, someone’s Paul. And you’ll find that teaching others makes your own faith stronger too.

Think about it: Who is a younger boy who looks up to you? What could you pass on to him?

Try this: Spend time with a younger boy this week. Teach him something you know, and if you can, tell him something you’ve learned about God.

Dear God, thank You for the people who passed on the faith to me. Help me pass it on too. Help me be a good example to younger boys, and teach them what I know about You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.