A Young Man After God’s Own Heart

Fast forward with me in my military career. It’s not February in Louisiana. It’s August…in the middle of the Mojave Desert. And it’s not raining. In fact, it hasn’t rained in two years. We are 50 miles from nowhere, at the Desert Warfare Training Center, where most of the U.S. Army’s desert training takes place.

Dawn is just breaking. The temperature is already 85 degrees, and it’s only 6 AM. Later in the day the heat will reach 115 degrees…in the shade! I am a U.S. Army Reserve officer in charge of a medical aid station. My team’s job is to treat the various injuries of those working around tanks, armored vehicles, and under extreme heat conditions. (Oh, did I fail to mention the snakes, scorpions, and sand fleas?)

My men and I are “in the field,” where I had just spent the night on a stretcher in the back of one of our ambulances. No, I wasn’t hurt. It was simply the best place to sleep! Early in the morning, I was suddenly awakened by a slight rumbling noise. As I rolled off the stretcher, the noise and the shaking of the ambulance increased noticeably. I had slept in my fatigues, so it was easy for me to quickly make my way to the top of the ridge above us. Off in the distance, I can see a great cloud of dust.

I know exactly what it is. I also know that soon the sound will be so deafening and the shaking of the earth so severe that I will hardly be able to stand because of the hundreds of Abram M1 fighting tanks rumbling toward us from the desert. These hundreds of tanks and men had been training for war.

Little did I or anyone else know that some months later, many of these same men and their tanks would be in the deserts of the Middle East battling Saddam Hussein in the Persian Gulf War.

In the previous chapter, we began to talk about training—training for battle. And the battle is not for a piece of land, but for a heart—your heart. We’ve been discussing the disciplines that will prepare you for the battleground of life—for a life that will honor God and serve others.

The starting point of this training is to honor and submit to your parents. We have already considered a few of the lifelong benefits of developing and sustaining a positive attitude toward your parents as they do their part to prepare you for your future. And remember, a key element of this positive attitude is submission.

Why is a submissive attitude important? Consider my son-in-law Paul, who joined the U.S. Navy and was commissioned as an ensign. But then came OCS (Officer Candidate School). The Navy shipped Paul off to boot camp, where he arrived the first night just in time for “chow” (that’s military talk for dinner). Each new recruit walked into the “mess hall” (another military term) and guess what awaited each one? A mess tray piled high with nothing but peas!

At that moment Paul had a decision to make. Would he obey orders and eat the peas (which he hated) or not? I’m sure many thoughts were flowing through Paul’s mind right about then. But because he had been trained to obey at home, it was easy to obey the drill sergeant at OCS and chow down the wretched, pale green, overcooked peas. Today Paul is a lieutenant and has earned his “dolphins” as a submariner. He was trusted with becoming an officer because he proved his trustworthiness through obedience.

I’ve already mentioned how important obedience is in your relationships with other people. But I haven’t yet mentioned the effect that “following orders” has on your relationship with God. And this is really crucial! It’s been said that “a child has to learn obedience in the home or he will never learn obedience to the Heavenly Father.”⁷ It really is true that respecting and obeying your parents prepares you to be obedient to your ultimate authority, God.

With this fact fresh before us, let’s look at a few more of the little yet important things you can do to train yourself and your heart at Camp Home. And keep in mind, it’s these little things that will propel you onto the fast track for getting ahead in life.

Your cooperation—Have you ever played team sports? You probably have, even if it was tag football on the front lawn, round-robin volleyball at the beach, or pickup basketball in the park. In order for your team to do well, what must happen? Every team member must cooperate, right?

Well, it’s the same way with you and your family. God wants you to function as a team member with the rest of your family and to live in unity and harmony (Psalm 133:1). He wants you to glorify Him as you honor and obey your parents (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Your parents probably want the entire family to function as a team as well. And your job assignment from God is to cooperate. Yes, at times it will be difficult for you. There will be times when you can’t see any reason for the demands your parents are making. But a young man after God’s own heart will go ahead—with a positive and pleasant attitude—and obey his parents.

Here’s the way it works: If your parents want you and your family to go to church, you go. If they want you to go back to church at night, you go. If they need you to watch your little sister or brother while they run an errand, you do it. If they need help around the house, you give it. If they want you to watch less TV, you watch less TV. Whatever is needed or requested from you by your family, you give it. Why? Because a man after God’s heart cooperates. He’s a team player. He helps the team be a winner before God and before a watching world.

And the benefit? You will learn how to be a team player for all the times you need to be one in the future—in your jobs, marriage, family, church, you name it—even if it means eating peas!

Your honesty—Do you want to stay on God’s good side? Then don’t lie. God says that He hates seven things, and one of them is “a lying tongue” (Proverbs 6:17). Telling lies is hurtful, dishonest, and wrong.

Truthfulness starts at home. Learn to be honest with your parents. Honesty is important even in the small things of life. Let’s say you are asked a simple question by your parents. The consequences of lying in your answer are minor, but still, there are consequences. Now you have a decision to make: You can tell a “little white lie,” or you can tell the truth. Each time you lie or tell the truth, you are forming either a bad and sinful habit, or a good and godly habit. If you learn to lie at home, eventually you will find it all too easy to lie to your friends, to your teachers at school, to your youth pastor, to your future boss…and to God.

So don’t get used to lying. Start telling the truth at home. Be honest with your parents and your brothers and sisters, and you will be honest with others, too—including God.

Your prayers—I don’t know what it is about us guys, but we don’t communicate very much. Girls love to talk. They talk to each other, their parents, their teachers, to anyone who will listen, including God. It seems that when it’s time to pray at youth group, usually the girls are the ones who volunteer to do the praying.

Well, even if we as guys don’t communicate much with others, we still need to develop our skills at communicating with God. That’s not only because prayer changes things, but because prayer also changes us and our hearts. Do you love your parents and your brothers and sisters? I know you do. Then one of the greatest acts of love you can give them is to pray for them. So why not show your love for them? Pray for them!

Think about it for a moment. Who’s praying for your parents? Who’s praying for your dad who works long hours to provide for you and the rest of your family? And how about your mom? Who’s praying for all her roles and responsibilities? Maybe your grandparents are faithful to pray for your family. But it’s very possible that if you’re not praying for your family, no one is! So pray for them. If they are stressed out or going through a hard time (and they probably are), pray for them. You can never pray too much for your parents and family members.

And don’t forget to pray for yourself, too. Pray for your attitude. Pray for an obedient heart. Pray for wisdom to say and do the right things at home, at school, and at church. Growing up sometimes feels like a lonely journey. But with Jesus as your Friend and Guide, you are never alone. Talk to your Friend, Jesus. He is always there to listen and to steer you on the journey.

Your money—Your money management is another area where Camp Home can be a valuable help. When I was growing up, my parents taught me two habits that have stayed with me up to this day.

First, my mother taught me how to give money to God. (It’s all His in the first place, you know. He’s only asking us to be stewards of His money and take good care of it.) Each Saturday my mother and I would sit down and place our giving money into a church offering envelope. Then at church on Sunday, together we would place our envelopes in the offering plate as it was passed by. Today it’s very easy and natural for me to give money to God and God’s work. Why? Because this was how I was trained at home.

How about you? Are you training yourself to give God a portion of your earnings, whether the money is from doing chores, working a part-time job, or even from your allowance? God will be honored, and you will be blessed when you give.

Then my dad taught me how to save money. Each week he took me to the local bank and stood with me while I deposited my meager earnings into my savings account. Saving, like giving, became an ingrained habit that has never left me.

My friend, obviously there’s a lot more to wise money management. But if you learn these two basics—how to give to God and to save your money—you will be well down the road to handling God’s money well, as a faithful steward. So start your financial training today, right in your home.

Your service—Who do you think was the greatest leader who ever lived? Most people would probably name some famous general or a great statesman. But I’m sure you, like me, would accurately name Jesus Christ as the greatest leader who ever lived…and still lives today.

Why? Not only because He is the Savior of all who put their faith in Him, but also because He inspired—and is still inspiring—young and old, men and women, black and white, rich and poor, to follow Him. Do you remember what we learned earlier in Matthew 20:26-28? Do you recall what Jesus said was the most important characteristic of anyone who wants to be a great leader? A quality that Jesus Himself possessed and liberally demonstrated throughout His life?

The answer is a servant’s heart. Jesus said be a servant, and you will be great. And where better can you be trained as a servant than in your own home? At every opportunity, ask your parents and your brothers and sisters the four little words of a servant—“How can I help?” Develop the sincere habit of using these four words at home, and one day you will be great—you will be a great servant-leader. And you will be a man after God’s own heart.

Here’s what one leader of a large church writes about being a servant—about the humility that it fosters and the strength that results:

If you want to be great according to Jesus Christ, be a servant. Humility shifts our focus outward, on others and off of ourselves. Humility calls us to serve God, our ultimate CEO, by serving others…. Humility will enhance your leadership at every level.⁸

How’s your combat training going so far? Camp Home is a little tough, isn’t it? Well, I’m sure you know what the coach always says: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And besides, no one said it would be easy. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).

Preparing to turn your life into an extreme adventure by living for God, whether at home or away from home, is a challenging task. But it’s one that must be mastered if you are going to be successful in life, if you are going to be a man after God’s own heart. God has provided the perfect place in Camp Home for you to get the basic training you need.

Consider yourself as one of God’s “special forces” soldiers, as being on assignment from God. And major on following this advice that the apostle Paul gave to another young soldier: “Endure hardship…like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). I urge you…be willing to pay the price that is required of you at your home:

By developing your character at Camp Home, you will grow into exhibiting the kind of conduct in life that honors God…and your parents.

Tough Decisions for Today

Can you relate to my son-in-law’s decision regarding the peas given to him in the mess hall? What request from your parents are you resisting? Or what tough decision are you facing today? What is keeping you from “following orders”?

How would you rate your cooperation with:

What can you do to improve in the area of cooperation?

What is your attitude toward money? What steps are you taking to be a better steward of your money?

What would you do if you found a wallet on the sidewalk as you were walking home from school (and no one was around…and there was money in the wallet!)? Or put another way, how do you rate in the important area of honesty? What improvements can you make?

The Cutting Edge

Present yourself to God as one…who correctly handles the word of truth.

—2 TIMOTHY 2:15

Read Proverbs 6:17-18, and notice the seven things God hates.

What does He say about lying?

What does He say about cooperation?

Read again James 5:16-18. What is required in order for your prayers to be effective?

Who was given as an example of a righteous man?

What was the outcome of his prayers in…

verse 16?

verse 17

What do these verses from James teach you about your own prayer life?