Frequently I have said to youth workers that the key to connecting with young people is simple: BE ENTHUSIASTIC!  Not the fake, plastic “put on” that often passes as a cheap substitute, but the heart felt thrill of pointing people to the Lord.

Many years ago I was driving to speak at a youth rally on a Friday evening.  A young man who was a student at Crown College was along for the ride.  As we neared our destination he asked me a question that I have never forgotten.  He said, “I know that it is easy to be energized and excited when you show up to speak to a big crowd of young people.  But how do you stay enthused about speaking to just a few people?”  I had never pondered what he was asking.  I have since thought about it many times.

The most enthusiastic people in the world ought to be those who are following Jesus.  In fact, the word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words: en and theos, or God within.  It is Christ within us that enables us to live with passion and meaning.

If you have to have a big crowd or the best circumstances, that enthusiasm does not come from within.  True enthusiasm comes from the realization that you are part of the greatest thing in all the world – God’s work.  True enthusiasm grows out of the conviction that God’s Word changes lives…one at a time.

Enthusiasm is contagious.  Get around an enthusiastic person and it will rub off on you!  Be an enthusiastic person and God will use you to encourage others.