by Pastor Patrick Cho

From time to time, I get contacted by high school or college students to meet up. Sometimes there is some agenda they want to discuss (ahem… girls), but sometimes they just want to take some time to get to know me. I have always appreciated these opportunities because having long since passed my high school and college years, there is so much I understand better today that I wish I could go back and tell my younger self. I know how impressionable a young mind can be and I appreciate when young men recognize their limitations and inexperience and seek the counsel of older men in the church.

One question I am frequently asked is, “What advice would you give a younger man desiring to grow spiritually?” Throughout the next several Pastor’s Corner articles, I would like to address some of the common spiritual pitfalls that I often see young men stumble into. The aim would be then to offer some practical counsel not only about how to avoid these pitfalls but also how to positively pursue biblical attitudes and actions.

One of the greatest dangers I see in young men is pride. Unfortunately, this is particularly true of those who seek to grow in spiritual knowledge. This is why one bit of counsel I often repeat with our seminarians is to guard the heart against pride. We are not naturally prone to humility. There is a heightened tendency in the human heart to magnify self when the mind is armed with knowledge. We like to let others know that we are well-versed in the Bible and theology. We like to put our reading and spiritual disciplines on display. All too often I see young men in particular puffed up with conceit.

I’ll never forget one occasion years ago when I was a younger college pastor. I had just finished Bible study and we were enjoying a time of informal fellowship when one of the college students approached me and introduced himself. He was new to our Bible study and wanted to let me know how much he appreciated the preaching from the Word. He then went on to explain to me all the things he felt I missed in the text and some points that he felt I could have addressed. I couldn’t help but smile. I thanked him for his input and for visiting our Bible study. I wish I could say encounters like this were rare, but it seems that each year in college ministry there was at least one. There was always that one guy who needed to tell me how much they knew or what books they were reading. They would throw out the occasional theological term to validate their spiritual prowess.

1 Peter 5:5-7 is a sober reminder that all men, young and old, need to clothe themselves with humility. This is because God opposes the proud and we find ourselves under the mighty hand of God. It is the mighty hand of God that will hold down the proud and arrogant, and it is the same mighty hand that will exalt the humble (cf. Ps. 147:6; Matt. 23:12). The Bible promises that the Lord will direct the humble heart (Ps. 25:9). We forget that the greatest in God’s kingdom are those who humble themselves (Matt. 18:4).

Here are some practical ways young men can cultivate humility:

1. Take some time each morning to preach the gospel to yourself. There is nothing that can humble a person more than the sobering reminder of our personal depravity and our absolute reliance on the grace of God to save.
2. If you especially find pride to be a point of difficulty or struggle, serve others. The problem with pride is that we are too focused on ourselves. One great way to direct your heart away from yourself and toward others is to serve them. Especially target those who will not be able to repay your service.
3. If you struggle with pride, then there are probably people in the church that you either mistreat or avoid. If you have been mistreating them, ask the Lord for forgiveness and then meet up with them to ask their forgiveness as well. Do something to encourage at least one of these people this week. Write them an encouragement note or treat them to a meal. It may be that you avoid them because you feel like you are better than they. Learn to treat them as better than yourself (Phil. 2:3-4).
4. Learn to be quiet. One sure giveaway of a prideful heart is an unbridled tongue (cf. James 3:2). Let others talk and try not to offer your opinion when no one has asked for it.
5. Seek to apply the knowledge you gain. Remember that mere knowledge puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1), but true wisdom is applied in meekness (James 3:13).