At least one expert believes that by the time children are five years old they should have learned these five values—honesty, justice, diligence, kindness, and love. Christian educators agree that the best time to convey spiritual values is when children are young and pliable. The boy Samuel was about 12 years old when God called him to be a prophet. God used him at a very crucial time in the history of ancient Israel. The period of the judges was about to end. The leaders God had chosen to guide the nation, especially the priests, were not doing what God had told them to do. In fact, the priests, sons of Eli, were so corrupt that God had decided to send them to an early death. God sent an unnamed prophet to tell Eli, that since he had neglected to discipline his priestly sons, God had rejected them to serve as priests. We learn in 1 Samuel 3, that God used young Samuel to deliver that same message to Eli. When any adult leader fails to act responsibly, we should not be surprised when God chooses to bypass them. Sometimes God chooses young people to accomplish His purposes. That is why we should prepare them to know and serve God while they are young. God can use anyone who, like Samuel, will say when God calls, “Here I am.”
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