To speak personally, I met Jesus when I was 15 in high school. When I did, I loved God more than anything, and I wanted to learn more about Him. I remember loving reading 5-10 chapters each night and looking through multiple devotionals such as Our Daily Bread. No one told me to do it. I just wanted to. During this time, God gave me tremendous growth in knowledge of God's Word that persists (I don't know if I grew that significantly beyond then in my older years).
Additionally, I remember taking on some bold moves that I may perhaps not do today. For example, I wrote to local churches about what is not Biblical with words to encourage them (remember, I am 15 years old writing to pastors in their 30's and 40's). I received notes from some churches asking if they could share these personal writings with their congregations to strengthen them. I also remember confronting two adult Jehovah's Witnesses who came by our youth group meeting and scared them away with my knowledge of the Bible. (Remember, they are trained to refute, but somehow I was able to refute their preparation. I remember my peers were shocked at what happened too.) All that, the knowledge and experiences, were not orchestrated by me. God made all that happen so I would remember even as I grew older and had different experiences.
I share this with you because I suppose Jesus met you, and God is working in you today. I encourage you to enjoy the moments as long as it lasts to prepare you for the different times that may come.
An example of this is John the Baptist. He was a crazy man for God (just as you and I ought to be), but as he was sent to jail and before he was beheaded, he began to doubt and wonder if Jesus was indeed the Messiah (See Matthew 11:1-6). Since John knew God, He was happy to do those crazy things. We don't know what happens to John's faith after Matthew 11, but I imagine this was a temporary thing because he probably began to recall how close God was to Him in his younger years.
Apostle Paul is no different. There are several passages where he reflects on how sinful he was and remembered how Jesus met him. An example of this is in 1Timothy 1:12-14. As you read Paul's story, you will see how much suffering he has gone through, but He always was energized by reflecting on his first meeting with Jesus. Take a look at 2Corinthians 11:21-33, 12:1-5 He explains in chapter 11 the suffering he faced from those outside the Church and even from those inside it! Then in chapter 12, he talks about when he met Jesus 14 years ago.
So, treasure your desire to and time of being close to God. Continue to spend time in prayer and reading the Bible. You may not know it, but God may also bring about experiences that you may recall later to realize God's hand has been on you all along! Remember these times! Write a journal if that can help. It is because God loves you and has plans to send you to do mighty things for Him throughout your life that He is pulling you to Him now.
To ensure I address your question about "doing His will." Yes, definitely! Just don't make it something that you think Christians should do based on the cultural teachings, just as you mentioned last time about giving to the poor. Yes, give to the poor if God directs you; don't do it because you feel that is what a Christian is supposed to do.
I encourage you to spend more time with God in prayer and reading His Word. As you do, He will direct you. Also, don't avoid things that you may generally avoid out of discomfort. Instead, ask God to help you and see what He does when you let go of your fears and trust God. You may see Him in action and further grow your faith.
Dublin, OH
