I’m a big fan of Shark Tank. Some of my favorite episodes have to do with children who pitch their business to the Sharks. Most of the time they get really good advice from the Sharks, but sometimes, the Sharks bite. Take Mikaela Ulmer, for example. She pitched her lemonade business, BeeSweet Lemonade, and Daymon John took the bait.
Her recipe is a combination of mint, flaxseed and honey-sweetened lemonade, which she copied from her great-grandmother, Helen. She recently signed an $11 MILLION dollar deal with Whole Foods to place her special lemonade in fifty-five stores. Did I mention that Mikaela was only nine years old when she went on Shark Tank? Now, at age eleven, she’s worth millions!
Mikaila’s ambition can point us to the Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth” [1 Timothy 4.12].
Perhaps Paul thought that some people in the congregation would think Timothy was not mature enough to lead them and ignore his teaching. While Timothy couldn’t control what people thought about him, he could control his response to them.
That’s why Paul would tell him not to prove himself by being a forceful leader or name-dropping his association with Paul. Rather, he admonished Timothy to reveal his maturity by using kind words, loving others, and demonstrating a deep spiritual life — a vibrant, and blameless life. Who would discredit such a leader
Age shouldn’t have the final say when it comes to influencing others for Christ. Young or old, let’s continue to ask God to shape us for a work of ministry. Whether we are nine or ninety, God can equip us to serve others.
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4.12
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