Young People’s Blog

“Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

As we saw yesterday, there is no reason for us to be lonely as Christians, even if we are alone, but sadly, many people, even including Christians, are lonely today. Perhaps they are older and feel their health slipping, or perhaps close relatives are too busy to come and visit them. The days seem long, and they often do not have much to do.

Here is a poem that I have enjoyed, that speaks to each of our hearts. Do we remember those who perhaps would enjoy a visit, and some encouragement?

It is in loving, not in being loved,
The heart is blessed;
It is in giving, not in seeking gifts,
We find our quest.

If you are hungry, lacking heavenly food,
Give hope and cheer.
If you are sad, and would be comforted,
Stay sorrow’s tears.

Whatever be your longing and your need,
Of that do give;
So shall your soul be fed, and you indeed
Shall truly live.

“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32).

For those who do not live in Canada, we have a widespread chain of outlets called Tim Hortons, where you can buy coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and donuts. I do not visit them very often, but one morning a few days ago I had occasion to buy some donuts. I could not help but notice a number of older people sitting there, eating their breakfast all by themselves. I imagine most of them were lonely, and wanted to eat breakfast where there were at least some people around, even if they did not interact with them.

I felt sorry for them, but being alone and being lonely are not the same. The Lord Jesus was often left alone, as we see in our verse today, but it is safe to say that He was never lonely. Although He felt it when His disciples left Him alone, He was not lonely, for His Father was with Him.

We do not need to be lonely either. Even if others leave us alone, we can enjoy the company of the Lord in our hearts. He is always with us!

“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found to give glory to God, save this stranger” (Luke 17:17-18).

In the story that is told in this chapter, verses 11-19, the Lord Jesus had told ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priests. All of them were lepers, and while they were going, they were cleansed of their leprosy. But only one came back to thank the Lord Jesus!

The Lord Jesus really felt it that only one came back. All ten were cleansed, but they could not be bothered to come back and say thank you. But the one who did come back did more than merely saying thank you; he glorified God. He recognized who the Lord Jesus was, and gave glory to God. Do you and I do that, by remembering the Lord Jesus as He has asked us to?

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).

Here in our verse today the Lord Jesus shows us that not only does He give us the truth, but that He Himself is the truth. Everything that is true, and everything we need to know in this world to live for God’s glory, is found in the Lord Jesus. We cannot come to God the Father without going through Him, and we cannot learn the truth without knowing the Lord Jesus.

Thomas was the disciple who asked the Lord Jesus about where He (the Lord Jesus) was going when He left this world, and Thomas also wondered how he could know the way. The Lord Jesus gave him a full answer, and told him that He was not only the way, but also the truth, and the life. It is worth everything to know the Lord Jesus, not only as our Savior, but also as the One who is the truth.

“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23).

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Instead of working hard to get rich, Solomon (through the Spirit of God) told his hearers to “buy the truth,” and to get wisdom, instruction, and understanding. He was referring to God’s wisdom, which also takes effort to get. It is well worth the time and effort to get it!

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus told His listeners that if they came to know the truth, the truth would set them free. What did He mean? He meant that everyone who is not saved and following the Lord Jesus, is a slave to Satan. We either belong to the Lord, or we are under Satan’s power. However, in knowing the Lord, we can be free from Satan’s influence, and free to enjoy all that God wants to give us.

But what about the truth? Where is the truth to be found? We will see that tomorrow.

“Labor not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom” (Proverbs 23:4).

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts” (1 Timothy 6:9).

I have heard more than one young person in my lifetime, even Christian young people, say, “I would like to have a lot of money!” Some of them have managed to get it, but it has not made them happy. Most people that have riches have spent quite a bit of time and effort to get that money, and then they have to spend even more time keeping it, managing it, and making sure that nothing happens to it. Also, when we begin to have more money, we seem to need more and more to continue to be satisfied. Our human hearts are never satisfied! Solomon (who wrote the book of Proverbs) was a very rich man, perhaps the richest man who ever lived. Yet he tells us not to work to get rich. Tomorrow we will see what he told his hearers to do instead.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted [or tested] above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

It is a real comfort to our hearts to know that God does not test us in ways that are not common to other people as well. God tests each one of His children, and uses those difficulties in our lives to teach us things we could not learn any other way. He does not allow problems in our lives just to see us suffer!

Also, this verse tells us that God will never push any one of us beyond our limits. He knows what we can bear, and He never goes beyond that. The test never goes on too long, and is never so severe that it breaks us. He is in full control, and has carefully measured it all before He allows it in our lives. What a comfort that is to us! Let us never forget it when the Lord allows a difficulty in our life!

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

This is a good verse for all of us to remember. In the verses previous to this one, the Apostle Paul mentions a number of sins into which the Israelites fell as they were passing through the desert. They are sins into which we too can fall, if we are not on guard. That is why God says that they are recorded as examples for us. But sometimes we may think, “I do not have to be concerned; that will never happen to me! I would never do that!”

Then the Lord may have to show us that we are not as strong as we thought. We are safe only when we realize our human weakness, and trust the Lord to help us. The Lord may allow us to have a fall, in order to teach us to rely more on Him. He will help us to avoid these sins, if we ask Him.

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we can incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

In this verse Paul is speaking about competing in the Olympic games, which were popular back then. Did you know that the first Olympic games were held almost 800 years before the birth of Christ? It was the same then as it is today. Those who wish to compete in the games exercise restraint in every aspect of their lives, in order to keep their bodies in very good shape. They are careful about their diet, careful about their exercise program, and careful not to injure themselves. Their goal is to win that event for which they are training.

But suppose they do win? Yes, they may get a medal, and it is nice to have. In the days of Paul, they were given a laurel wreath to wear on their head. However, it is corruptible crown; it will not last beyond this life. (A laurel wreath might last only a few days!) But you and I have the privilege of serving the Lord, and in that sense we can run a race for the Lord. His reward will be incorruptible; it will last for all eternity.

“Thy wrath lieth hard upon Me, and Thou hast afflicted Me with all Thy waves. Selah” (Psalm 88:7).

We get the account of the Lord Jesus and His sufferings on the cross in the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but in some of the Psalms we read about His deeper feelings and emotions when He went through it all. Psalm 88 is one of those so-called “Messianic” psalms, and our verse for today shows how deeply He felt the wrath of God against sin. God the Father sent Him into the world to suffer for sin, and the Lord Jesus came willingly to do His Father’s will. But He felt it keenly when all of the judgment of God against sin fell upon Him.

Waves in the Bible are often a picture of judgment, for waves in the sea just seem to come one after the other, without a break. That is how it must have been to our Lord Jesus on the cross. All of God’s judgment had to fall upon Him; no part of that judgment could be left out. We cannot thank Him enough for taking all that judgment for us!