This content is published with the permission of the Secondary School Bible Quiz (SSBQ).
 Joel H. Jack (SSBQ Coordinator) and Kozel Fraser | Kozel Fraser, CEO of the Windward Islands Farmers' Association, delivered the feature address at the Secondary School Bible Quiz 6th Annual Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 10th December, 2013 at Frenches House in Kingstown. SSBQ is the brainchild of Joel H. Jack and was established in 2007 and is an initiative to encourage secondary school students to read, love and follow God's word. Though the SSBQ is an independent initiative, Jack and Fraser are members of KCC. Below is the full text of the speech. |
By Kozel Fraser (Kingstown Church of Christ, SVG)
Organizers of the SSBQ, awardees, specially invited guest, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, other youth participants to the programme. Good Morning. I am especially pleased to see seated all the young persons today, those who have taken the time to participate in the SSBQ over the last few years and who were successful in winning this year. We are extremely happy and elated about your enthusiasm for the word of God, your support for the programme and your continued encourgament through your participation.
When the Secondary School Bible Quiz was established, it was fundamentally to help to bring out the best in our youth. You are already at that stage where you are striving to be the best academically and in your extra-curricula activities, and you should also be the best that God wants you to be.
The Bible teaches us in the book of Proverbs 14:34 that, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach onto all people.” As young people it is especially important that you find that balance, not just to excel academically but also spiritually. You must be able to find that balance between your play life, your school life and your spiritual life, and having a sound knowledge and understanding of the scriptures is very important for your overall success and development. There is no situation in life that you will go through that the answers are not found in God’s words. We truly hope that through your participation in the various programmes you would have had the opportunity to reflect on Gods words and to apply them in your daily lives at school, with friends and family, etc.
Ì want to also say to the youths, that you are on an incredible journey of self development and at that stage in life when not only are you developing your intellectual dimensions and intelligence to become good professionals but you are also at that stage where you are cultivating and nurturing human formation, training of your conscience and your heart to be role models for Christ. As such, even while you are at secondary school, you must remember that it is a perfect environment to have great ideals, morals, kindness, faith, and an opportunity to develop into what God wants you to be - a spiritual training ground. Some of you are preparing for university, for the job market, for decision-making. You are going to be placed in environments and faced with decisions that will test your character. The most critical thing is to ensure that you premise your decisions on Gods words.
There is something very special about young people, everybody wants you. That is because not only do you have a level of energy, capacity and ability to get things done, but you are also an excellent source of ideas and innovation and significantly impact on public opinion, policies and action. You are trend-setters!
I want to leave three things with you this morning.
1. The Bible has already laid down your road map to success.
Everything that you want to know abut achieving your goals can be summed up in Mathew 6:33 - Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Sometimes in this journey called life, in pursuit of career goals and life ambitions, we can forget that, and dedicate all our time, energy, and give our best to secular achievement. We study so hard and we work so hard that we forget friends, family, ourselves, and we even forget God. We forget that the Bible teaches that all earthly things will pass away. We forget God and forget that the benefits that we neglect God for, are already ours if we seek God first. My encouragement to you is to work diligently as well to God’s service. Dedicate your best to Him, for at the end of it all what matters is what we do for Christ.
2. Seek God while you are young. It can be what saves you in the future.
Many people will think of you as leaders of tomorrow, but God wants you to be a leader today. Don’t wait until you are mature, knowledgeable, accomplished or skilled, and use those as milestones before you begin to take God’s words seriously and consider what plans and purposes He has for your life.
Paul told Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12), a young man in the faith, “Let no man despise thy youth,” (a lot of people might say, ‘You are only young once,’ and to, ‘enjoy life's pleasures while you can,’) “but be thou an example to the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith and in purity.”
I understand the struggles and pressures faced by youths today. Pressures from the media to conform to standards and lifestyles of the world. All of us are bombarded by television programmes, music and movies that give us the impression that to live righteously is not cool. However King Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived, instructed, “Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth,” and, “the conclusion of the matter after all these things, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” He is the king who instructed that you “remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’” To ensure that we live a full and abundant life, we must include God in our plans.
God specifically requires young people to be leaders for His cause, while we have the strength and energy we need to put it to use for His purpose, at the time when we set the patterns for our life, so that whatever comes, we have a perfect reference point to come back to.
3. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
You are not here just because of the Bible quiz but for the love of God. But having a love is not enough, if not demonstrated through obedience. God must have a working power in your life. To get that power, you must first have faith in the word of God. To do that, you have to hear the word of God, believe it, repent of your sins, confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Then as you go on to live a spiritual life, you will experience the power to be able to do all things through Christ who strengthen you
I want to end by reading this passage from Psalms 19:7-14, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Organizers of the SSBQ, awardees, specially invited guest, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, other youth participants to the programme. Good Morning. I am especially pleased to see seated all the young persons today, those who have taken the time to participate in the SSBQ over the last few years and who were successful in winning this year. We are extremely happy and elated about your enthusiasm for the word of God, your support for the programme and your continued encourgament through your participation.
When the Secondary School Bible Quiz was established, it was fundamentally to help to bring out the best in our youth. You are already at that stage where you are striving to be the best academically and in your extra-curricula activities, and you should also be the best that God wants you to be.
The Bible teaches us in the book of Proverbs 14:34 that, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach onto all people.” As young people it is especially important that you find that balance, not just to excel academically but also spiritually. You must be able to find that balance between your play life, your school life and your spiritual life, and having a sound knowledge and understanding of the scriptures is very important for your overall success and development. There is no situation in life that you will go through that the answers are not found in God’s words. We truly hope that through your participation in the various programmes you would have had the opportunity to reflect on Gods words and to apply them in your daily lives at school, with friends and family, etc.
Ì want to also say to the youths, that you are on an incredible journey of self development and at that stage in life when not only are you developing your intellectual dimensions and intelligence to become good professionals but you are also at that stage where you are cultivating and nurturing human formation, training of your conscience and your heart to be role models for Christ. As such, even while you are at secondary school, you must remember that it is a perfect environment to have great ideals, morals, kindness, faith, and an opportunity to develop into what God wants you to be - a spiritual training ground. Some of you are preparing for university, for the job market, for decision-making. You are going to be placed in environments and faced with decisions that will test your character. The most critical thing is to ensure that you premise your decisions on Gods words.
There is something very special about young people, everybody wants you. That is because not only do you have a level of energy, capacity and ability to get things done, but you are also an excellent source of ideas and innovation and significantly impact on public opinion, policies and action. You are trend-setters!
I want to leave three things with you this morning.
1. The Bible has already laid down your road map to success.
Everything that you want to know abut achieving your goals can be summed up in Mathew 6:33 - Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Sometimes in this journey called life, in pursuit of career goals and life ambitions, we can forget that, and dedicate all our time, energy, and give our best to secular achievement. We study so hard and we work so hard that we forget friends, family, ourselves, and we even forget God. We forget that the Bible teaches that all earthly things will pass away. We forget God and forget that the benefits that we neglect God for, are already ours if we seek God first. My encouragement to you is to work diligently as well to God’s service. Dedicate your best to Him, for at the end of it all what matters is what we do for Christ.
2. Seek God while you are young. It can be what saves you in the future.
Many people will think of you as leaders of tomorrow, but God wants you to be a leader today. Don’t wait until you are mature, knowledgeable, accomplished or skilled, and use those as milestones before you begin to take God’s words seriously and consider what plans and purposes He has for your life.
Paul told Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12), a young man in the faith, “Let no man despise thy youth,” (a lot of people might say, ‘You are only young once,’ and to, ‘enjoy life's pleasures while you can,’) “but be thou an example to the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith and in purity.”
I understand the struggles and pressures faced by youths today. Pressures from the media to conform to standards and lifestyles of the world. All of us are bombarded by television programmes, music and movies that give us the impression that to live righteously is not cool. However King Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived, instructed, “Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth,” and, “the conclusion of the matter after all these things, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” He is the king who instructed that you “remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’” To ensure that we live a full and abundant life, we must include God in our plans.
God specifically requires young people to be leaders for His cause, while we have the strength and energy we need to put it to use for His purpose, at the time when we set the patterns for our life, so that whatever comes, we have a perfect reference point to come back to.
3. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
You are not here just because of the Bible quiz but for the love of God. But having a love is not enough, if not demonstrated through obedience. God must have a working power in your life. To get that power, you must first have faith in the word of God. To do that, you have to hear the word of God, believe it, repent of your sins, confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Then as you go on to live a spiritual life, you will experience the power to be able to do all things through Christ who strengthen you
I want to end by reading this passage from Psalms 19:7-14, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Some of the awardees, students, teachers and SSBQ Coordinator, Joel H. Jack, at the awards ceremony.
